War of the Light
by Souta the Madman
Summary: Best title I could come up with for now. This is a re-make of 'Society of Light: Alternate Series.' More details inside. Insert appropriate copyright claim here.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I'm back. Future Duels will be longer than the Duel I wrote out here, but this was, more or less, practice to get back into the habit of writing for Duels. Let me know if you like this any better than the original, I hope to get better in my writing as I go along. Go to my page for more info. I'm planning to re-write 'SOL Alternate Series' to make it lengthier and have better description. That's the plan anyway. Then I'll get back to Shadows of Duel Monsters. My hope is to make a better connection between this and Shadows. Hope to update this weekly, beginning next week. Anyway, I've rambled enough. On with the show!**

Duel Academy. The place where they trained the best of the best, the next Generation of Duelists. And in the past year, they had gained a talented Duelist named Jaden Yuki.

Jaden wasn't always the happy-go-lucky kid that was all about having fun when dueling; he had a lonely childhood. Time passed, and he dueled several children in his neighborhood growing up. Many sustained injuries after dueling Jaden, and the cause was never quite pinpointed. Friendships, with the exception of one, were short lived, and Jaden was turned into an outcast rather quickly.

Then he came to Duel Academy. Jaden's freshman year flew by and ended with saving the world from the Shadow Riders and Kagemaru. Despite being assigned to the Slifer Red Dorm, Jaden did make friends. His close ring of friends consisted of Syrus Truesdale, Chumley Huffington, Alexis Rhodes, Bastion Misawa, Chazz Princeton, and Zane Truesdale. Outside of that closely knit circle of friends, Jaden began to build up a reputation as one of the strongest Duelists at Duel Academy, second only to Zane Truesdale.

Zane graduated at the end of Jaden's freshman year. Jaden and Zane dueled at the illustrious, end-of-the-year Graduation Match. The Duel ended in a Draw. And as the duel drew to a close, so too did Jaden's freshman year at Duel Academy.

At the beginning of Jaden's junior year, it appeared that this year would be just as lively as the last one. Between protecting the Slifer Dorm from being demolished by Vice Chancellor Bonaparte and making new bonds and strengthening the older ones, not a day passed without something going on. Jaden and friends had to comfort Syrus as he worried over his brother Zane, who had recently disappeared after losing match after match in the Pro Leagues, and had mysteriously reappeared a little over a week later. As it turned out, Zane hooked up with Aster Phoenix's manager, Seth Phoenix, who apparently had no relation to Aster whatsoever. Zane was missing for a span of ten days. After ten days, he mysteriously returned to the Pro Leagues, still being managed by Seth Phoenix, and won many a Duel. To everyone who knew Zane, however, Zane just wasn't himself. No one in the media seemed to comment on the change in Zane's change in demeanor, though. The only things that the media commented on were Zane's new deck and his change in attire, which was completely white now…

The main of event of the year so far had been Jaden's 'real' Duel with Aster Phoenix. Jaden and Aster dueled at the very beginning of the year because Aster had enrolled as a student. However, Aster just slapped together a deck with random cards, so Jaden came out on top, despite nearly losing to said deck. When they 'really' dueled, Jaden lost to Aster's Destiny Heroes, and he lost the ability to see his cards, let alone speak with them.

Aster was technically a student, but he never stuck around. He went back to the Pros after being beaten by Jaden for the first time. Aster was sent back to Duel Academy by his manager to eliminate the 'threat' known as Jaden Yuki. After he won, Aster was on the next flight off of Duel Academy to go back to dueling in the Pros. As for his manager however, unbeknownst to everyone, he flew into Duel Academy the night that Aster flew out of Duel Academy. He did not interact with anyone for a couple of days.

Seth was a peculiar individual. He was a fortuneteller, but he did not use tarot cards. Instead, he used his deck to see into the future. Or at least so he claimed. Seth was a particularly private person. Not even the media knew much about him, and they bombarded him every day with questions. Unknown to anyone but him and those that were members, Seth formed the Society of Light, also known as the Secret Society, at least in its early days. Everyone in the Society of Light dueled, and anyone who lost to a Society member mysteriously joined immediately after the duel. Seth knew everything about everyone in his Society of Light, and he was obviously pleased by the growing number of members joining every passing day.

Jaden stuck around at Duel Academy for a few days after losing the ability to see his cards, in case his sight came back to him, but… Jaden continued to be blind when it came to looking at Duel Monsters Cards. Finally, Jaden gave in and ran away, thinking he didn't belong at Duel Academy anymore. Of course, this brought his friends distress. They noticed immediately he had vanished from the Slifer Red Dorm the evening he ran away and instantly set out to find him. Each one of Jaden's friends – Syrus, Hassleberry, Alexis, Chazz, and Bastion – went to a different part of the island in search of him.

This brings us to the present. Bastion was walking through the dense forest surrounding Duel Academy, hoping to locate Jaden. The moon was shining brightly, and there was a slight breeze blowing through the trees.

Bastion called out for Jaden once again.

"JADEN! Can you hear me?"

Bastion went around a tree and found himself in a large clearing. There was no sign of Jaden. However…

"YAAAY! You are winning big!"

Bastion blinked and shined his flashlight on a man sitting at a stand near the edge of the side of the clearing that he was on. The man couldn't have been taller than four feet, and he appeared to be round and bald. To Bastion, the little man was bizarre: The man was wearing a red cloak and white gloves and boots. The most bizarre feature was the man's glasses, which seemed to have swirls on them. From this, Bastion inferred the man was some sort of hypnotist.

Bastion approached the man at the stand and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"And what, pray tell, have I won? I have never seen you before in my life! While you're at it, you can also tell me how I won this mystery prize!"

The little man chortled and held his sides as he did so.

"… Do not be sweating the details! You are talented duelist, and Richter recognize this! Richter telling you have won the jackpotting!"

Bastion shook his head and smirked at 'Richter'.

"… Flattery will get you nowhere. I am not a fool. Whatever it is you're trying to pull, it won't work. Now, I'm only going to ask this once: Have you seen a young lad in a red blazer go by here today? We, meaning me and the rest of his friends, are very worried about him, you see."

'Richter' let out more chortles as he showed his pearly whites to Bastion.

"Richter is telling you that he has not seen this 'lad'! But Richter does know that he is being your rival!"

Bastion backed away slightly in shock at the man's knowledge, but held his ground.

"S-So…? What of it?"

'Richter' extended his arms and smiled a big, cheesy smile, once again showing those big pearly whites to Bastion.

"Lucky is being you! Richter tell you that you can acquire unlimited power! Power enough to be defeating anyone, including Jaden! This is what you are being jackpotting!"

Bastion twitched and shook his head.

"… Now I KNOW you are trying to scam me! While I do believe that every formula can be cracked… I CANNOT accept that you have acquired this certain formula! Do you even know who Jaden IS?"

'Richter' chortled.

"Jaden Yuki! Top student at the Academy of Duel that conquered the Riders of Shadow! What so special about that? Richter tell you that nothing special, but what Richter tell you IS special is being you! YOU have untapped potential, but now it is time for the tapping!"

Bastion raised an eyebrow.

"… Eh? I'm… not sure I follow."

'Richter' continued chortling.

"Richter is having said do not be sweating details! Now… Richter work assistant to Big League manager! Will you take time out for Richter to introduce you to manager? You being impressing Richter, but if you being impressing manager… You become duelist who is pro-ish! What say you?"

Bastion rubbed his chin and stared at 'Richter' in the eyes to insure that he could discern if 'Richter' was lying to him or not.

"… Let me see if I have this straight… You set up a stand all the way out here to attract duelists who happen to be passing by… and then you promise them that they will become pros after an introduction to a 'manager'? … Why should I trust you? Give me one good reason, and I may give your proposition some thought."

'Richter' shook his head.

"Richter-"

"… That's quite enough, Richter."

Bastion and Richter turned their attention to a newcomer who was standing directly behind Bastion. Bastion stared at the man and didn't say a word. The newcomer was certainly tall, between six and seven feet. The man appeared to be wearing a white blazer very similar to an Obelisk Blue blazer, and a pair of white gloves and boots very similar to Richter's. The man's black hair stood straight up, and his silver-y eyes focused on Bastion and Bastion alone.

Richter laughed and began sweating.

"M-M-Master Seth! You are coming out so soon? Richter was still-"

Seth held up a hand and Richter seized talking.

"Silence! We have wasted enough of Mr. Misawa's time already… After all, he is in the middle of searching for his very dear friend, Jaden Yuki…"

Richter opened his mouth again.

"B-But…"

Bastion stood absolutely still and looked Seth up and down. In his eyes, Seth didn't seem suspicious at all, at least when compared to Richter.

"… I-I can spare a minute… Was… Was Richter speaking the truth about you…?"

Seth nodded and extended a card to Bastion.

"… Yes. I manage professional duelists. My name is Seth Phoenix. Ever heard of Aster Phoenix…? Or perhaps Zane Truesdale…?"

Bastion's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You manage them BOTH? … By the way… you wouldn't happen to be of any relation to Aster, would you…?"

Seth chuckled and gave Bastion a disarming smile.

"… I get that a lot. But… No. I am of no relation to Aster. The point to keep in mind, however… is that I turned both Aster and Zane into the professionals that they are today. They exhibited so much potential that I couldn't help but further their careers as professional duelists. Mr. Misawa, you exhibit that exact same potential. I would hate for all that potential to go to waste."

Bastion blinked in disbelief.

"Y-You… You would accept me as a client? Really?"

Seth nodded.

"… Of course. Although… Just taking you on as my newest client wouldn't be fun. Bastion… Would you care to duel? To show off your prowess? The outcome of this match will not matter, I assure you. It's all in your favor."

Bastion couldn't help but nod weakly. He was very excited about the prospect of becoming a professional duelist so soon, but somewhere in the back of his mind, something was off about all this. Despite that, Bastion just couldn't say 'no' to the man's challenge. He seemed… trustworthy. Almost too trustworthy.

"… Game on."

Bastion and Seth stood apart in the clearing, and Richter stood in the center of the clearing, acting as a referee.

"Richter is saying: Be playing fair, and be letting this Duel having the awesomeness fit for two power-full Duelists!"

Seth sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"… We don't need you as a ref, Richter. Get off the field. Now."

Richter smiled a cheesy smile again and backed off of the field. Bastion activated his duel disk.

"Ready…?"

Seth activated his duel disk as well.

"… Destiny has already decided who will win this contest. Fate has blessed me with the ability to see into the future, so I too know who will be the victor."

Bastion laughed as he drew his first five cards.

"I don't need a fortuneteller to tell me that I will be winning this Duel!"

Seth chuckled and drew his first five cards.

"Will you…? We'll see. I don't duel very often. I only duel the truly talented duelists, and you are one of them, Mr. Misawa…"

Bastion frowned and drew his sixth card.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me. … My go! First I will summon Hydrogeddon in attack mode. Then I will set one card face down and call it a turn."

(1600/1000)

Seth chuckled again as the monster - a being made entirely of water, albeit dirty water - and Bastion's face down card materialized on Bastion's side of the field. Seth drew his sixth card and smirked.

"On with the show!" Seth stared at the cards in his hand and smiled gleefully after laying his eyes on a certain card. "Bastion, I must confess… You are unenlightened."

Bastion blinked and shot a glare at Seth.

"I'm what…?"

Seth shrugged and opened up the field zone part his duel disk.

"… I'm simply stating the truth. You have not seen the Light. But… after this Duel… You and I shall bask in the eternal glory that is the Light! However… First comes the Wheel of Fate, a very 'risky' card to be playing on my first move.

The card itself materialized above Seth's head and began to rotate.

"… Should this card land right side up, you have to pay 500 life points for each card you play next turn. If it lands upside down… I have to pay 500 life points for each card that I play this turn. On my next turn, the card spins again, and will continue to do so on each of my turns until you or I destroy it. And here's the fun part… 'you' get to decide when the card stops rotating. Of course, Destiny has already chosen, so I am not worried. Now 'choose', Mr. Misawa."

Bastion scoffed.

"Just call me Bastion, no need to be formal! … Stop!"

The card stopped rotating; it landed right side up.

"Such a shame… You won't be able to play too many cards next turn… Oh well… Moving on… Your soul needs to be saved, Bastion, and I have the card to do it… I summon Soul Hero 5: The Princess!

(1500/1500)

A gorgeous maiden clothed completely in an enormous, poof-y white dress emerged from a blinding gateway of light that had appeared as soon as Seth had played the card. She was around the same height as Bastion, and she had long flowing dishwater blonde hair. She looked a lot like Alexis, but there were differences. The second Bastion's eyes fell upon her gleaming emerald eyes and gentle smile, he blushed madly. He also noticed the card itself rotating above her.

"I'm sure this looks familiar to you… Just say 'stop', and her ability will be determined. Right side up: She gains 500 attack points when she attacks. Upside down: She loses 500 points when attacked. Either way, when she's destroyed, well… You will see when the time comes. Now 'choose' your fate, Bastion!"

Bastion was still blushing madly. He closed his eyes tightly as he yelled.

"S-S-STOP!"

The card landed upside down. Seth shrugged like it was nothing, and Bastion opened his eyes and blinked, surprised.

"… As I predicted. Moving on, though…" Seth held up another card in his hand and revealed it to be a spell card. "I play Gentleman's Exchange. Basically, you offer up one of your monsters for me to use… and I offer you a monster to use. If you don't accept this exchange… I'm afraid your turn will be skipped. So what will it be…?"

Bastion stared down at his face down.

_My facedown is Compulsory Evacuation Device… So, if he chooses to attack me with Hydrogeddon, I can send it back to my hand, and I'll get to keep his monster… _

Bastion nodded.

"… Very well! We'll trade."

Seth nodded, too.

"Indeed. And with that, I'll end my turn."

Seth smirked as he placed one card facedown.

Bastion was puzzled as to why he didn't attack. But he shrugged off that nagging feeling that something wasn't right again and drew another card.

"… Fine! I will summon Oxygeddon!

A dragon-like creature composed of oxygen materialized onto Bastion's side of the field. Seth smirked at it as it roared at him.

(1800/800)

"Before my attack, though… I will activate Compulsory Evacuation Device! In doing so, I return Hydrogeddon to my hand!

Seth feigned shock as Hydrogeddon disappeared from his side of the field and reappeared in Bastion's hand. Bastion smirked and pointed at Seth.

"And now Oxygeddon and Soul Hero 5: The Princess can strike you directly!"

Both monsters charged at Seth and made contact.

Seth: 700

Bastion: 3500

Seth laughed as the dust cleared, though his facedown never activated.

"You actually made contact… Good for you! Too bad I'm still standing."

Bastion chuckled and set two cards facedown.

"Well, if I finished you off on my second turn, it wouldn't be very interesting, now would it? It's your move."  
>Bastion: 2500<p>

Seth: 700

Seth laughed and drew another card.

"Well, it's my turn again… so The Wheel of Fate spins! Go ahead, Bastion… If it lands upside down, I will only get to play one card this round!"

Bastion watched the card spin for a few minutes, and then he shouted.

"STOP!"

… The card landed right side up again.

"Hahaha… Just like the real Wheel of Fate, you can't seem to reverse this one, Bastion… Oh well. Now I will summon Soul Hero 1: The Wizard!

(1100/1100)

A gray creature clothed in a gray robe magically teleported onto the field. He had no mouth, nose, or eyes on his face; but he had one eye on both palms of his hands. The eyes appeared soulless and empty. Again, the card appeared above the monster and began to rotate.

"This probably looks familiar to you… If it lands right side up, every time a spell card is activated, The Wizard can attack you directly. If it lands upside down, he attacks me directly for every spell card played. Just tell the card when to stop."

Bastion sighed and yelled.

"STOP!"

The card landed right side up.

"Such a shame, Bastion… Especially since… I have two spell cards to use! Go, Hero Provisions and Prediction! First, the effect of Hero Provisions gives me Life Points equal to the total number of attack points of any Soul Hero I have on my field. Then, Prediction… Thanks to this card, if I guess the type of card you have on the top of your deck correctly, I get a Life Point boost equal to half of the combined attack points of every monster on the field! But… if I guess wrong… you get the boost. And just so we're clear… 2200 Life Points are at stake here. And I predict… that you will draw a spell card. And just so you know… the spell will be Bonding H2O."

Bastion picked up the top card and his eyes widened.

"But how did you KNOW that?"

Seth laughed as he received the boost.

"I told you, predicting the future is my specialty… Now on with the attack! Wizard!

The Wizard held up two orbs of light and threw them one at a time at Bastion. Bastion cringed as he took the damage.

Bastion: 300

Seth: 4000

Seth shrugged and shook his head.

"There isn't much else that I can do. I suppose it's your move now."

Bastion shook his head and pointed at his facedown.

"First I think I will activate Mystical Space Typhoon and take out your Wheel of Fate!

Again, Seth feigned shock as one of his best cards was destroyed. Bastion never noticed the small smirk Seth had, though.

Bastion drew another card.

"Now I will summon Hydrogeddon! It's over for you! Hydrogeddon… take out that Wizard!

Seth shielded his eyes as Hydrogeddon took out The Wizard. Another Hydrogeddon materialized after the attack of the first one succeeded.

Seth: 3500

Bastion: 300

"When Hydrogeddon destroys a monster in battle, I'm allowed to summon another one! Like I said… it's over. Hydrogeddon, Oxygeddon, and Princess… eliminate the rest of his Life Points!

A large cloud of dust enveloped Seth's side of the field. Bastion smirked and breathed a sigh of relief.

"… It's over."

Seth's laughter could be heard as the dust cleared. And as the dust cleared, a pillar of light could be seen along with Seth's activated facedown card.

"… Sorry. Your Oxygeddon and Hydrogeddon are impure. So… I still have Life Points!"

Seth: 2000

Bastion: 300

Bastion blinked in astonishment and stared at Seth in horror.

"B-But… how?"

Seth nodded and explained.

"When you destroy a Soul Hero, the Soul Hero does not go to the Graveyard… Instead, he returns to one of my Spell or Trap card zones and becomes what you see before you. Then my Pure Light steps in. Any non-Soul Hero monsters… cannot touch me in direct attacks… as long as I have one Soul Hero in my Spell or Trap card zones. You are fortunate enough to be possessing one of my Soul Heroes, so you did make contact with my Life Points. Congratulations."

Bastion grumbled and set two more cards facedown.

"… Well, it's your move. Good luck."

Seth chuckled as he drew his next card.

"Bastion… There is no such thing as 'luck'… Only Destiny. And now I shall prove it. First, my Pot of Greed spell card, which allows me to draw two more cards… Next, Reinforcement of Light. I take two Soul Heroes from my deck and place them in two of my Spell or Trap card zones… And now for the finale: Pulse of Light! This powerful Spell allows me to Special Summon all three of my Soul Heroes at once! So come forth, Soul Hero 1: The Wizard! Come forth, Soul Hero 3: The Fool! And come forth, Soul Hero 8: The Champion!

As The Wizard materialized onto the field, The Fool, which appeared to look like your average clown, rolled onto the field and uncurled himself right beside The Wizard, and the Champion seemingly crashed down from the sky and landed on his two feet. The Champion wore white armor and held a huge white sword and an even bigger white circular shield.

(1100/1100), (1300/1300), and (1800/1800)

All cards began to rotate above the monsters. Seth began to speak again.

"… Though it's meaningless for The Wizard to land either way… the other two abilities to be determined are very important for the outcome of this match, Bastion. First The Fool: If he lands right side up, I'm able to negate one of your Trap cards. It works only once, of course, because I must sacrifice him to negate your Trap. And should The Fool land upside down… well… I can't activate Trap cards. But that isn't a problem as I haven't any Trap cards to activate at this time. And lastly… The Champion. Should he land right side up, I can Special Summon an additional Soul Hero from my deck. Should he land upside down, I have to eliminate one on my field. Now 'choose' your fate, Bastion!"

Bastion grinded his teeth and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"STOOOP!"

All three cards stopped rotating at the exact same time, and, unfortunately for Bastion, they all landed right side up. Seth laughed rather loudly and pointed at Bastion arrogantly.

"You see! Destiny has already decided who will be the victor of this match. That victor… is me. And this card will prove it! By the power of The Champion, I call forth Soul Hero 7: The Genius!

A man that appeared to be the spitting image of Bastion in a white lab coat emerged from a similar gateway of light that The Princess emerged from. He had goggles on, and he held a test tube in one hand and a beaker in the other. Again, the card appeared above The Genius and began to rotate.

(1700/1700)

"… This card represents you, Bastion. As you can very well tell from his appearance. But… appearances aren't everything. Moving on… If The Genius lands right side up, you will take 1000 points of damage when I destroy one of your monsters. But… if it happens to land upside down, I will take the damage when your monster is destroyed… This will happen every time that I destroy a monster of yours. Though it's pointless, for you only have 300 Life Points…"

Bastion shouted at Seth.

"It could land upside down, you know! Besides, who's to say my facedown cards won't stop you? All I need is one turn, and I will have victory!"

Seth chuckled and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Unfortunately for you, you won't have a next turn. You see, though you may have Oxygeddon, two Hydrogeddon, and The Princess… All I need do is attack the Princess with anyone but The Wizard, and your Life Points will be 0! Your facedown cards are Waboku, Magical Cylinder, and Bonding H2O! You can't activate Bonding H2O because it's not a Quick Play Spell card – and even if you COULD, I would still attack The Princess! If you try activating Waboku, I'll simply negate its use with The Fool! Magical Cylinder won't help; I'll still have Life Points and a few more attacks to throw at you. It's over."

Bastion held up his pointer finger.

"Ah! But if The Genius lands upside down and you destroy one of my monsters after I activate Magical Cylinder… You won't win either! It will be a Draw! … I don't know how you keep accurately guessing the cards I have… But it doesn't really matter! This match can end in a Draw, and I'm fine with that! "

Seth smirked.

"Let's put your theory to the test! Just tell the card when to stop!"

Bastion nodded, closed his eyes, and spoke in a normal voice, rather than yelling out the word.

"… Stop."

… The card landed upside down. Bastion opened his eyes in disbelief and smiled contentedly. Seth, on the other hand, didn't smile. No, he burst out laughing.

"Ha… haha… HAHAHA! This is going EXACTLY as predicted! Your defeat is imminent… Champion: Attack The Princess!"

Bastion triggered Waboku.

"Go Waboku! I won't take damage, and my monsters will gain immunity for this turn!"

Seth shook his head as The Fool dematerialized from the field.

"I negate your Trap with The Fool! My attack goes on!"

Bastion triggered his other Trap.

"Go, Magical Cylinder!"

Seth held his arm in front of his face as he took the damage.

Seth: 200

Bastion: 300

Seth chuckled.

"Very good! The Duel's just about over… Now for the finale.

Seth turned to The Genius.

"Genius… attack The Princess!"

Bastion blinked in disbelief.

"B-But… why? The Duel will end in a Draw…!"

Seth shook his head as The Princess exploded in a brilliant show of light.

"Not quite. I still have Pure Light. All I need do is remove it from play… and all damage I would've taken becomes nil. Sorry. It looks like you're taking all that damage by yourself. Because The Princess is upside down, she loses 500 attack points when attacked. You take 700 points of damage. And last I checked, you had 300 Life Points left."

Bastion backed up a little.

"B-But… I-I can't…"

Seth shot Bastion a sorrowful gaze.

"Bastion… The cards have been telling me that there's a certain rival you have been trying to defeat… Not only that… But they've also been telling me that you have been going unnoticed by your peers and professors for quite some time. It's true that you've held your own against Jaden and that you helped battle the Shadow Riders… But that doesn't really amount up to much, does it? Think about it: You came CLOSE to beating Jaden, but you still LOST. You helped battle Shadow Riders but you still LOST to them. Jaden on the other hand… He nearly beat all the Shadow Riders, and he's beaten you… Let's face it: If another power-hungry supervillain were to rise up and to come to Duel Academy, who would everyone turn to? You? Or Jaden?"

Bastion held his head. It was throbbing.

"I…"

Seth stared into Bastion's eyes more harshly.

"… They would pick Jaden to be the hero, wouldn't you agree? You would continue to be ignored. But it doesn't have to be that way. Join me, Bastion. Together you and I will unlock your potential. Bask in the glory of the Light and demonstrate to everyone your full potential! What say you, Bastion? Will you join my Society of Light?"

Bastion clutched his head with both hands and shook a bit.

"I… I don't know…"

Seth began shuffling his deck.

"You do know… The fact is, the two sides of you are struggling for control. One side of you is light, and the other is dark. Embrace the light within! Don't you want to be noticed and admired? Don't you want the ability to conquer your greatest rivals? … To conquer Jaden?"

Bastion's arms dropped to his sides and his hands clenched into fists. He shut his eyes tightly and gave in.

"A-Alright… Fine! Show me the Light! I wish to be recognized!"

A white light enveloped Bastion. Seth laughed and deactivated his duel disk.

"Wise choice! This is the start of a beautiful relationship!"

Richter giddily jumped up and down.

"It begins! It begins...!"

Bastion screamed into the night, and nobody heard him…

The next morning at the Slifer Red Dorm, everyone was having breakfast when Bastion walked into the room. Syrus was the first to notice Bastion.

"Oh, hi Bastion! We were beginning to think you disappeared, too! … You seem different. You get a new haircut?"

Chazz shook his head, stopped eating his meal, and gave Bastion his full attention.

"Hey, dork! What's with the new white threads? Can't say they make you look any better. If anything, you look tackier than you usually do."

Bastion held up his arms triumphantly.

"I've done more than get a new wardrobe, lady and gents! I've seen the Light! And soon… you, ALL of you, will be on my side as we bask in the glory of the Light! Ahahahahahaha!"

Syrus, Hassleberry, Chazz, and Alexis looked on in concern as their friend maniacally laughed. One thing was for certain: Things were about to get very interesting very quickly…

**Next Episode: To Neo Space and Back! The Boy Who Can Change Destiny!**

** Featured Cards (The Cards I made up):**

** Soul Hero 1: The Wizard: (1100/1100) 4-Stars, Spellcaster, Light-attribute. Effect: Right side up: Every time a Spell card is played, this card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. Upside down: Every time a Spell card is played, this card must attack you directly. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, this card can be placed in a Spell or Trap card zone as a Continuous Spell card. **

** Soul Hero 3: The Fool: (1300/1300) 4-Stars, Spellcaster, Light-Attribute. Effect: Right side up: By tributing this card, negate the activation of an opponent's Trap card. Upside down: Tribute this card to negate the use of the next Trap card you use. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, this card can be placed in a Spell or Trap card zone as a Continuous Spell card.**

** Soul Hero 5: The Princess: (1500/1500) 4-Stars, Spellcaster, Light-Attribute. Effect: Right side up: This card gains an additional 500 attack points when it attacks. Upside down: This card loses 500 attack points when attacked. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, this card can be placed in a Spell or Trap card zone as a Continuous Spell card.**

** Soul Hero 7: The Genius: (1700/1700) 4-Stars, Spellcaster, Light-Attribute. Effect: Right side up: Inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent whenever you destroy one of the opponent's monsters by battle. Upside down: You receive 1000 points of damage whenever an opponent's monster is destroyed by battle. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, this card can be placed in a Spell or Trap card zone as a Continuous Spell card.**

** Soul Hero 8: The Champion: (1800/1800) 4-Stars, Warrior, Light-Attribute. Effect: Right side up: You can Special Summon one level 4 or below Soul Hero from your deck once per turn. Upside down: You must remove one level 4 or below Soul Hero from your side of the field once per turn. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, this card can be placed in a Spell or Trap card zone as a Continuous Spell card.**

** The Wheel of Fate: Field Spell Card. Effect: Right side up: On their next turn, the opponent must give up 500 Life Points to play a card from the hand. Upside down: You must pay 500 Life Points to play a card from the hand this turn.**

** Gentlemen's Exchange: Normal Spell Card. Effect: You offer up a monster for your opponent to use and your opponent offers up a monster for you to use. If your opponent declines the offer, the opponent's next turn is skipped.**

** Hero Provisions: Normal Spell Card. Effect: You gain Life Points equal to the total number of attack points of one Soul Hero on your side of the field.**

** Prediction: Normal Spell Card. Effect: Guess the type of card on top of your opponent's deck. Guess correctly, you gain Life Points equal to half of the combined attack points of all monsters on the field. Guess incorrectly, and your opponent gains Life Points equal to half of the combined attack points of all monsters on the field.**

** Pure Light: Continuous Trap card. As long as you have one Soul Hero in your Spell or Trap card zones, you take no battle damage from non-Soul Heroes. Remove this card from play to negate any damage dealt outside of battle.**

** Reinforcement of Light: Normal Spell Card. Add two level 4 or below Soul Heroes from your deck to your Spell or Trap card zones. These cards are treated as continuous Spell cards.**

** Pulse of Light: Normal Spell Card. Special Summon as many Soul Heroes from your Spell or Trap card zones as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter Two. Hope to release a Chapter every Saturday. Starting next Chapter, the 'Episodes' will get more and more different from the original series. I skip Jaden's little 'expedition', if only because I want to move the series along. The main content here is Jaden vs. Aster. In my eyes, I'm still adjusting to writing for duels, so I don't know if you guys will be too impressed yet. However, I'm hoping to change that with a 'dueling advisor'. Rather than use the same cards over and over and keep churning out new cards to save the main characters, I'm willing to let someone in on the 'writing stage' and advise me on cards (newer, as in 5D's newer) you think the main characters in GX would use. I stopped tuning into Yugioh after GX, so I'm kinda 'pure' in that I haven't seen a single 5D's episode. One of the perks of being the 'dueling advisor' would be that you would get hints of the storyline dropped to you as I explain what I require in future chapters, and the 'dueling advisor' would be the first one to view upcoming chapters before anyone else. I can't guarantee that I will take ALL of your advice, but I will at least consider it. And the storyline is nonnegotiable because I've already got it all plotted out. So, if interested, just Review or Personal Message me. If no one is, that's fine. Just dropping a line in case anyone is interested. I'm fine with doing all the research myself, but I thought one of you might like to help in the making of at least War of the Light. … Sorry, but this was the best place to advertise. On with the story. **

"… I cancelled your upcoming match with Zane. Your flight to Duel Academy leaves in an hour…"

Aster shook his head and didn't budge.

"Seth… I just don't see how this is any good for my career. It's a step backward!"

Seth chuckled and made a pile on the round table he was sitting at with his cards.

"You've got to have more faith in the cards… They see everything. They warned us of a threat, but now that threat is imminent. It was merely a possibility before, but now the threat draws near. You must go to Duel Academy under the guise of helping Vice Chancellor Bonaparte tear down that Slifer Red Dorm… when in actuality, you are there to neutralize a very severe problem."

Aster frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"And after I neutralize the 'problem'… I can come back to duel in the Pros? I don't have to go back to Duel Academy ever again?"

Seth smirked and turned to Aster after shuffling his pile of cards on the table.

"… Yes. Just make sure that the threat is disposed of once and for all. You will win… the cards declare your victory. Just put your trust in fate."

Aster looked thoughtful and stared Seth right in the eye.

"… It's Jaden again, isn't it? He's the 'problem'."

Seth nodded.

"Of course, Aster. When you defeated Jaden, the cards were supposed to predict a threat-free future… but they didn't. And now the balance has tipped again, signaling Jaden's imminent return. Prove to this foolish boy… that you are the Chosen One."

Aster groaned and stopped leaning against the wall.

"Alright… I'll defeat that loser again… But I better be rewarded big time."

Seth nodded in agreement.

"… You will. Put your trust in fate, and you will reap the satisfactory fruits of destiny… Better get going."

Aster nodded and walked out of the room…

"Are they serious? I mean, challenging ME? I'm the Chazz! I don't just duel ANYONE…"

Hassleberry shrugged and began to walk to Duel Academy.

"Well fine. But if you won't duel, it's gonna be Private Lexi representin' our dorm."

Chazz grunted and stalked after Hassleberry.

"Fine! I'll do it… Can't risk Lexi getting hurt…"

After five minutes of Hassleberry and Chazz standing in front of Duel Academy, Alexis and Syrus ran up to them. Alexis spoke up.

"Is it true? Are they really gonna tear down our dorm?"

Chazz jabbed his thumb into his chest.

"Not if I can help it. The Chazz has got your backs."

Syrus crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Who arranges for a duel at midnight anyway?"

Hassleberry snorted.

"Somebody up to no good…"

Alexis nodded.

"Yeah, not to mention totally against Academy regulations…"

"… Not if you're the head of the school.

Hassleberry, Syrus, Alexis, and Chazz all turned to the sound of a voice emerging from the entrance to Duel Academy. Two figures emerged from the shadows. It was Crowler and Bonaparte. Bonaparte was speaking.

"Last time I checked, we made the regulations. Besides, the Slifer Reds need to GO."

Chazz glared at Bonaparte and pointed straight at him.

"Your threats don't work on the Chazz! Who's my opponent, anyway?"

Bonaparte smirked, seeing another person approaching behind the teens.

"… You're about to find out."

"What's up? Anyone up for a duel?"

Everyone turned and stared at Aster awestruck. Crowler whispered to Bonaparte, clearly impressed.

"You're BRILLIANT! He ACTUALLY showed up…"

Bonaparte smiled and closed his eyes, feigning being humble.

"Aww… Stop it. … On second thought, keep on going."

Crowler looked from side to side and continued.

"He was booked solid for the next three YEARS! HOW did you manage to get him to show up?"

Bonaparte sighed.

"… Let's just say I know some people who… eh... know some people… and leave it at that."

Crowler didn't, though.

"Like WHO?"

Bonaparte sighed again, knowing this would take up some time if he didn't elaborate.

"One of the people on my bowling team knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who has a second cousin who knows the barber that once did Seth Phoenix's hair."

Crowler grinned.

"I've always wanted to be on a bowling team…"

Bonaparte grinned as well.

"You have to be over 50 to join ours…"

Crowler's eyes widened as he stared at Bonaparte in shock.

"YOU'RE-"

Bonaparte clamped shut Crowler's mouth.

"Pipe down! You know you're only as old as you feel! Just watch!

Bonaparte cleared his throat and spoke loudly to everyone.

"Alright, dudes! Let get funky with our bad selves!"

As a group, they went into Duel Academy, save for Aster who lingered behind. Bastion, who had gone unnoticed up until now, attracted Aster's attention.

"Aster! So, have you heard?"

Aster turned his head to Bastion, not really understanding why he was wearing White instead of Yellow, and raised an eyebrow.

"What? About the stakes of this duel?"

Bastion shook his head.

"I'm one of you now! I've seen the Light!"

Aster turned his head back to Duel Academy almost immediately.

"As stimulating as this conversation is… I've gotta go, pal. Later."

Bastion chuckled and began to walk away from Duel Academy.

"I see! You're the type that likes to keep things private… I understand. You can trust me, you know. Now go and make everyone see the Light! Ahahahahahahahaha!"

Aster turned back to Bastion, who was nearly out of sight now.

"… My fans keep getting weirder and weirder…"

Aster shrugged and walked straight into Duel Academy…

Crowler, Bonaparte, and Aster went to the far side of the main dueling ring and Chazz and co. stayed on the opposite side. Bonaparte held up a wireless microphone and served as the announcer.

"Attencion! Should Chazz lose this duel, it's au revoire Red Dorm!"

Chazz scoffed and activated his duel disk.

"Like that's gonna happen! I'm the Chazz! It's time to Chazz you up, loser!"

Aster chuckled and didn't activate his duel disk yet.

"Arrogant, aren't you? Arrogance doesn't get you very far, y'know. You're an amateur, dude! Getting cocky like that will only get you two things: Beaten and fast. But… I'm willing to let you surrender now, to save yourself the embarrassment."

Chazz looked ready to draw his first five cards.

"As if! I beat you here and now, I'll have beaten the punk that beat Jaden! So, in other words, I'll have beaten Jaden!"

Aster shook his head and sighed.

"… Knowing that Jaden was the top duelist at this trash heap… I'd have to disagree with you. You're not gonna win, dude. Stop fooling yourself. I admire your moxy, but there's a fine line between talking a good game and playing one."

Chazz angrily drew his first five cards.

"Just shut up and duel!"

Aster frowned and looked to the entrance of the arena.

_So… Jaden's really not gonna show up, huh…? So much for that 'threat'…_

Aster smirked and activated his duel disk.

"Game on!"

"Hey! That's MY line!"

Everyone in the room turned their attention to the entrance to the arena, not believing their eyes. All of Jaden's friends, save Chazz who was grumbling up on the arena, ran over and welcomed him back.

"You came back!"

Alexis happily greeted Jaden. Hassleberry was the next to speak.

"Where'd ya go, Sarge? One minute you're here… and the next, you're gone for days!"

Jaden blinked, and then laughed.

"Aw, c'mon! It hasn't been that long!" Jaden turned his eyes to the arena with Chazz and Aster in it. "Hey, Chazz! Let me take your place! I GOTTA do this!"

Chazz crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"No way! This punk is MINE! You had your chance!"

Jaden folded his hands and made a puppy-dog face.

"C'mon! PLLLEEEAAASSSE? I went to outer space and got these totally rad, new cards! I'm just dying to duel with 'em!"

Chazz raised an eyebrow, then pointed straight at Jaden.

"You see! You just gave me another reason to deny your plea! I mean SERIOUSLY… You honestly want us to believe there are Duel Monsters cards in SPACE? PLEASE!"

Crowler stole the mic from Bonaparte.

"Jaden Yuki's request to take Chazz's place in the match against Aster Phoenix is approved! Duelists, take your places!"

Bonaparte sighed and rolled his eyes.

"… You're letting those slackers walk all over you…"

Crowler beamed at Bonaparte.

"It's a rematch! The press will love this!"

Bonaparte grumbled as Chazz reluctantly got off the stage.

"… You better not lose! I refuse to be expelled because of your incompetence!"

Jaden grinned from ear to ear.

"Thanks, Chazz! I knew you believed in me!"

Chazz glared at Jaden before taking his seat next to Alexis in the row of seats behind Hassleberry and Syrus. Hassleberry pumped a fist into the air.

"No mercy!"

Aster sneered at Jaden as Jaden activated his duel disk and drew his first five cards.

"So… you're back. Ready to lose?"

Jaden shook his head and grinned from ear to ear.

"Nope! I'm ready to show you my totally sweet and awesomely improved deck, though!"

Aster frowned and held his first five cards confidently.

"There isn't a Hero on Earth that can hold a candle to my Destiny Heroes!"

Jaden shrugged and chuckled.

"My new Heroes aren't from Earth! So it's on!"

Aster: 4000

Jaden: 4000

Aster drew his sixth card.

"… Whatever. I'll kick things off." Aster examined his hand and picked one to play. "… My first Destiny Hero is Diamond Dude!

(1400/1600)

"And now for his special ability… I flip the top card of my deck, and if it happens to be a spell card, I can use it on my next turn. Let's check what Destiny's got in store for me!

Aster flipped his top card, revealing it to be Pot of Greed.

"Waddaya know? I love it when a plan comes together… Now I'll set this card face down and give you a shot!"

Aster sent Pot of Greed to the graveyard and set one card face down.

Cards in Aster's hand: 4

Jaden laughed gleefully as he drew his sixth card.

"Not bad, Aster! But watch this! I summon Neo Spacian Air Hummingbird in attack mode!"

(800/600)

Everyone's eyes were on Jaden's new monster. Syrus was the first to find his voice.

"Jaden really did go to outer space!"

Chazz snorted and grumbled.

"… No way… It's probably just the latest card from Pegasus… He probably stole it…"

Alexis shook her head and stared at Jaden, clearly impressed.

"Stealing isn't really Jaden's way of doing things… Besides, haven't you noticed that he hasn't complained once about not seeing his cards?"

Hassleberry could only nod and stare admiringly at the 'Sarge'.

"Well, I don't care HOW he got the new cards… The Sarge is back! That's all that matters!"

Syrus and Alexis nodded in agreement. Chazz only growled in annoyance. Crowler stared at Air Hummingbird in bewilderment, and Bonaparte just continued staring at Jaden angrily.

"Why did that slacker have to come back…? With him here, it's like they actually have a shot at protecting their dorm again!"

Bonaparte attempted to steal the mic back from Crowler to order Aster to win, but Crowler wouldn't let him have it.

Jaden continued speaking, not really hearing all the commentary.

"And now for Air Hummingbird's effect to kick in!

Four pink flowers hovered above Aster's head, and he looked up warily as Air Hummingbird hovered over them and sucked their nectar. Jaden spread his arms wide as he received a bonus of 2000 Life Points.

Jaden: 6000

Aster: 4000

Jaden grinned at Aster's shocked expression.

"For every card in your hand, I get a bonus of 500 Life Points, courtesy of my Air Hummingbird! But don't feel too left out, I'm still planning to win, after all!

Jaden played Quick Summon.

"With this, I'll summon my Elemental Hero Sparkman!

(1600/1400)

Jaden pointed at Diamond Dude.

"Now attack his Diamond Dude!

Aster didn't flinch as he took a little bit of damage.

Aster: 3800

Jaden: 6000

Aster revealed his facedown.

"You're not in the clear, dude! You triggered my trap, Destiny Signal! Now I can summon any Destiny Hero as long as it's Level 4 or below! And I'll choose my Captain Tenacious!

(800/800)

Jaden shrugged and set a card facedown.

"… Oh well! Your move, buddy!"

Cards in Jaden's hand: 2

Aster growled and drew another card.

"I'm NOT your buddy… Due to the effect of my Diamond Dude, I can use my Pot of Greed from last round! Two more cards for me!

Aster picked up his next two cards and seemed pleased.

"Alright, now it's time to take control! I summon Destiny Hero Dunker!

(1200/1700)

"By sending a Destiny Hero from my hand to the grave… I can get a 500 point strike on your Life Points!

Jaden: 5500

Aster: 3800

Jaden cringed as he took the small damage. Aster smirked.

"Now I remove Destiny Hero Malicious from my grave to Special Summon another one from my deck!

(800/800)

"Don't think I'm finished, though! I sacrifice all three of my Destiny Heroes to summon Destiny Hero Dogma!"

(3400/2400)

Hassleberry looked on as Dogma was summoned to the field.

"Hoo boy, I would not want to be in Jaden's shoes…"

Syrus's voice was shaky.

"H-He still has a shot… Right?"

Alexis's voice was full of determination.

"Jaden will win! He has to. You know Jaden; he always manages to find a way to win!"

Chazz shook his head and smirked.

"Yeah, but Aster's not just anyone. Remember, Aster DID manage to beat Jaden once already…"

Hassleberry growled and shot a glare at Chazz.

"Whose side are you on, son?"

Chazz shrugged and turned his attention back to the duel.

"… I'm only stating the facts, Huckleberry."

Aster aimed a fist at Air Hummingbird.

"And now… Destroy that canary!

Jaden cried out as he took greater damage.

Jaden: 2900

Aster: 3800

Cards in Aster's hand: 3

Aster shrugged and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"… I guess it's your move. Better make it count, or before you know it…

Jaden drew a card, and his Life Points were halved during his Standby Phase.

Jaden: 1450

Aster: 3800

"… You'll run out of Life Points. Face it, you can't stand up to my Dogma."

Jaden stared at his hand and smirked.

"… Maybe I couldn't with my old deck… but this one's another story! Check it out! Air Hummingbird… is coming right back! With Monster Reborn!

(800/600)

"Then I'll play… Fake Hero! With this, I can summon an Elemental Hero card from my hand without making a sacrifice! So c'mon out, Elemental Hero Neos!

(2500/2000)

Jaden held out his hand and shouted.

"Alright, guys! Fusion time! Contact Fusion!"

Neo Spacian Air Hummingbird and Elemental Hero Neos leaped into the air and disappeared from sight. In their place came another of Jaden's new Elemental Heroes, Elemental Hero Air Neos.

(2500/2000)

Aster growled and shouted.

"But that's against the rules!"

Jaden shook his head.

"It's called Contact Fusion! And it's legit! What's really cool, though, is his special ability! Since your Life Points are higher than mine… Air Neos gains the difference between our scores! So that's 2350 additional attack points, now that's a bonus!

(4850/2000)

Jaden pointed at Destiny Hero Dogma.

"Now destroy his Dogma! Sparkman! You're up next!

Aster groaned as Dogma was obliterated.

Aster: 750

Jaden: 1450

Cards in Jaden's hand: 0

Jaden laughed and jumped up and down.

"Man, this is an exciting duel! I can't believe I just destroyed one of your best cards! This is the BEST! Thanks, Aster!"

Aster growled and bellowed.

"You think you've got skill? PLEASE! You're a cur, a hack! I'M the Chosen One! I've got all the power I need in my deck to conquer anything! Relying solely on Dogma would be pointless, not to mention naïve! But you're about to figure that firsthand… Huh…?"

Jaden had ended his turn, and Elemental Hero Air Neos mysteriously returned to his deck. Jaden called out to Neos in an attempt to bring him back.

"Uh… Hello? Neos! We're in the middle of a duel! You can't just return to my deck like that! NEOS!"

Aster chuckled and drew his next card vehemently.

"Even your monsters are beginning to acknowledge my superiority… Watch and learn, kid! I remove my second Destiny Hero Malicious from my grave to bring out my third one!

(800/800)

"Then… I sacrifice my Malicious to summon Destiny Hero Double Dude!

(1000/1000)

Aster clenched his hand into a fist and held it up at Jaden.

"It's over! From my hand I activate Dark City, giving my Double Dude a 1000 point boost because of your Sparkman! Double Dude can attack twice, and you've only got 1450 Life Points left! Double Dude… ATTACK!"

Jaden activated his facedown.

"Go, Negate Attack! This trap halts your attack and ends your battle phase!

Aster frowned as his assault was stopped.

"… Whatever. I'll set this card facedown and give you one last shot."

Cards in Aster's hand: 1

Jaden was feeling confident as he drew his next card.

"Haha! I summon Card Trooper in attack mode!

(400/400)

"And by sending three cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard, he gains 1500 attack points!

(1900/400)

"Now, attack! Your target: Destiny Hero Double Dude!"

Aster cut in at that moment.

"Not so fast! Go, D-Shield! With this card equipped to Double Dude… he's forced into Defense Mode, and he can't be destroyed by battle! What else you got?"

Jaden looked thoughtful and shook his head.

"… Nothing. It's your move!"

Aster grunted.

"… 'Bout time! I draw! Now I activate Pot of Avarice! So I return Dogma, Diamond Dude, Dunker, Captain Tenacious, and Doom Lord to my deck, shuffle, and draw two cards!

Aster scanned the two cards he drew and nodded approvingly.

"This will have to do! Destiny Hero Celestial! You're on!

(1600/1400)

Aster pointed to Double Dude.

"Double Dude… stand up! Double Dude… Take out Sparkman and Card Trooper!"

Jaden: 450

Aster: 2350

Jaden drew another card.

"… Because you went and destroyed Card Trooper… I get to draw another card!"

Aster shrugged, shook his head, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Like it matters! How're you gonna stop my Celestial from finishing you off?"

Jaden nodded, remembering Aster was unaware of the card he had sent to his graveyard by Card Trooper's effect.

"By removing Heroic Gesture from my graveyard, I can make all battle damage for one attack from you 0!"

Aster heaved a sigh and stared at Jaden in disbelief.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you? Well, go right ahead… See if I care. You're gonna lose in the end. I'll set one card facedown and defer to you."

Cards in Aster's hand: 1

Jaden laughed.

"Aster… whether I win or lose… I'm in this duel for the long haul! I'm all about having fun when I duel! And now… I'm gonna have a blast with this turn!

Jaden drew, anticipating a good draw. And he was right.

"Haha! I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards! Then I'll go ahead… and activate Graceful Charity! Letting me draw three cards, providing I discard two! And now… go O-Oversoul! With this card, I can bring back a monster with 'Elemental Hero' in its name! So come on out, Neos!

(2500/2000)

Jaden extended the Field Spell part of his duel disk. Dark City shattered instantly.

"… Then I activate Neo Space! So Elemental Hero Neos gets a 500 point boost! Neos… attack his Double Dude!"

Aster raised an eyebrow as Neos raced towards Double Dude.

"... Sorry! Not gonna happen, 'pal'! Overpowered Destiny! Since your Neos is 2000 points stronger than my Double Dude... All battle damage is 0! And Double Dude can't be destroyed, remember?"

Aster: 750

Jaden: 450

Jaden laughed. Again.

Aster grinded his teeth as Jaden set a facedown and ended his turn.

"Looks like we'll have a victor next round! … Maybe."

Aster yelled at the top of his lungs.

"YES! WE WILL! And I plan to enjoy every last minute of your defeat…

Aster drew his next card and activated it.

"… Generous Destiny! Lets me draw two more cards, one card for every Destiny Hero on my field. In return... you get to draw the same amount of cards! Not like it matters, though. Moving on... I'll summon Destiny Disk Commander! But he won't be sticking around for long… I sacrifice all three Destiny Heroes to summon a Destiny Hero you might remember!

Jaden groaned and looked on as the sacrifices were made.

"Don't tell me…"

Aster pumped his fist into the air as Dogma was summoned again.

"… That's right! Destiny Hero Dogma makes a return for the finale!

(3400/2400)

Chazz rolled his eyes as the monster made a comeback.

"Well, well… Looks like Aster's gonna win after all."

Alexis reprimanded him.

"Don't say that! Besides, even if Aster attacks and destroys Neos… Jaden will still have Life Points!"

Syrus shook his head.

"… But by the look in Aster's eye, I'd say that he's not done…"

Hassleberry nodded nervously.

"Th-The Sarge'll pull through, though!"

Aster smirked as he held up one more card.

"… Lastly, I activate Banner of Courage to finish you off. All my monsters get an additional 200 attack points in the battle phase. Dogma… ATTACK!"

Jaden was quick on his feet.

"Hero Barrier! As long as Neos is on the field, I can negate one of your attacks!"

Aster frowned, but nodded in agreement.

"… True. I guess you got one more shot at this. One more."

Jaden stared at his deck and began to sweat.

_… Deck. Don't fail me now! I was having so much fun… that I forgot what was on the line here! If I don't draw the card to beat Dogma here and now… I'm finished! But… It's never stopped me from putting faith in my deck before… I'm gonna win this! I can feel it!_

Jaden drew his last card. His face turned from one of disappointment to one of puzzlement and, finally, to one of sheer happiness.

"YEEEAAAH! I summon Neo Spacian Flare Scarab! And with this bad boy out, Neos and Flare Scarab… can combine! Unite, guys! Let's show Aster what teamwork can do!

Neos and Flare Scarab leapt into the air like Humming Bird and Neos had done earlier, but they came back a different monster. Elemental Hero Flare Neos.

(2500/2000)

Jaden clenched his right hand into a fist.

"… First, Neo Space gives Flare Neos a bonus of 500 points! Then, count up all Spells and Traps on the field, 'cause each one gives Flare Neos a 400 point boost!"

(3800/2000)

Aster smirked and sighed.

"A valiant effort... but it's not strong enough to win the duel!"

Jaden chuckled and set the remaining two cards in his hand facedown.

"Wanna bet...?"

(4600/2000)

Aster was sweating now.

"N-No...!"

Jaden gave a cheesy smile and nodded.

"I'm afraid that this duel is over! Flare Neos! Attack Dogma and end this!"

Aster shielded his face as Dogma was destroyed and the rest of his Life Points were taken out.

Aster: 0

Jaden: 450

The Field Spell faded, and Jaden walked over to Aster, who was now sprawled across his side of the arena, tired and beaten. Jaden extended a friendly hand to Aster to help him up. Aster got up on his own though, despite the gesture. Aster turned to Jaden, closed his eyes, and heaved a sigh.

"… Nice duel. I guess. … Who am I kidding? That was a GREAT duel! Too bad this is my first official loss, though… Jaden, I have to say: I'm impressed. Now look, I don't intend to lose again, so you better enjoy this moment while it lasts."

Jaden chuckled as his friends joined him on the arena.

"Oh, I'm gonna milk it! I mean, c'mon! It's not everyday you beat the pants off of an undefeated Pro Duelist! Now here's how I see it… Our first duel didn't count since you let me win. That means we're tied."

Aster turned to leave. He sounded aggravated.

"Yeah? Not for much longer."

Hassleberry was the first to congratulate Jaden, and Syrus was the first to hug him.

"Well done, Sarge! I knew you could do it!"

Alexis nodded and smiled at Jaden.

"And because you won… the Slifer Dorm gets to stay!"

Chazz couldn't bear to look at Jaden.

"… You did OKAY… but I would've beaten him much quicker!"

Jaden showed a toothy grin at his friends' praise.

"Aw, c'mon! You're making me blush!"

Crowler and Bonaparte hadn't moved an inch since the conclusion of the duel. Crowler was amazed Jaden had come out on top despite the odds, and Bonaparte was just shocked that Aster was beaten.

"What a faux pas! A Professional who can't beat a Slacker? Trés, Trés embarrassing!"

Crowler nervously grinned at Bonaparte.

"A-At least he didn't decide to enroll as a student! Now we can move on!"

They were both about to get up and walk away, but when they turned, they suddenly found themselves screaming because Aster was standing right there.

"I actually kinda like it here! But there are going to have to be a couple of conditions before I move in full-time… First, no classes before noon. I like to sleep late…"

Bonaparte began to sweat.

"P-Please! We wouldn't dream of it!"

Aster continued, like he hadn't been interrupted.

"And I want breakfast in bed… And a list of your TOP students... … Are you writing this down? I want all of my conditions met tomorrow!"

Crowler and Bonaparte nodded as Crowler took out a pen from his pocket and Bonaparte took out a notepad from his pocket. This would be a long school year for them…

Bastion nodded and hung up the communicator. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he began to ponder how to go about creating a new White Dorm. Master Seth wanted that new White Dorm up and running when he came to visit Duel Academy in a week, and Bastion was not about to disappoint him…

**Next Episode: Demolish, Keep, or Replace? Decisive Match! Bonaparte VS Crowler VS Bastion! **

** Featured cards:**

** Heroic Gesture: Normal Spell Card. Remove this card from play from your graveyard to make all battle damage 0 for the rest of this turn. **

**Overpowered Destiny: Normal Trap Card. Activate when your opponent selects a Destiny Hero that you control. If the attacking monster is 2000 points stronger, make all battle damage from that attack 0. **

**Generous Destiny: Normal Spell Card. Draw as many cards as there are Destiny Heroes in your control. Your opponent draws the same amount of cards.**


	3. Chapter 3

** Sincerest apologies, the 'Featured Cards' section took longer than I thought it would to write up. First Triangle Duel in the fic, I hope to have a few more of these. And the 'Dueling Advisor' position is still open, guys. For now, Bastion will be using OC cards of my design. I might just let him keep said deck, if I can keep churning out cards for his deck in the future… Anyway… First, a little 'pointless' scene with Seth and Richter, then we jump right into the episode… **

Seth nervously wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as he shifted the pile of cards on the table around. Clearly, he was uneasy. Richter stood by his side, waiting to be told what to do.

"Jaden Yuki has achieved the impossible… Not only has he kept his soul from being wiped clean, but he has overturned one of my predictions… Most troubling…"

Richter chortled at his Master's uneasiness.

"You is over-thinking, perhaps? Richter will admit that your predictions have never been proving false, but it is being possible that you have read cards wrong…?"

Seth shook his head and continued sifting through the cards.

"No, Richter… I make sure I accurately read the predictions of the cards every time… I assure you, I would've realized my mistake by now… But after Jaden's unpredictable move… the future changed. Now I must examine the future again to see how drastic the changes that said move have made…"

Richter chortled again.

"Well… is it not being possible that Aster is not being the Chosen One that we is seeking? Perhaps we have been being mistaken?"

Seth frowned and picked up a random card.

"… The cards will tell us, Richter… Have patience. Hmm…"

Richter's tried to get a look at the card Seth was holding, but Seth would not allow him to see it.

"… Master…?"

Seth smirked and set the card down.

"It appears today is the day that Duel Academy embarks on the road to enlightenment… I knew I picked the right man for the monumental task of opening the eyes of every student at Duel Academy…"

Richter raised an eyebrow and chortled. Again.

"But… is Jaden being in your way again…?"

Seth picked up another card and shook his head.

"… Not this time. This card seems to indicate turmoil within the faculty of Duel Academy, which means… Bastion will resolve the conflict, and open everyone's minds to the Light! Jaden is a problem to be solved at a later time for now…"

Richter smirked and chortled. Yet again.

"You are being boss!"

Yugioh GX! –

"That Dorm is staying put!"

Crowler huffed. Bonaparte was just as furious.

"Over my dead body!"

Crowler smirked.

"Fine by me!"

A Professor tried to speak up.

"Now gentlemen…"  
>Crowler stood up and had both his hands on the table.<p>

"You can't order the demolition! You lack the authority!"

Bonaparte smirked.

"Au contraire! Read the rules! Because I'm invoking Article 217!"

Crowler blew a gasket.

"But what do bathroom passes have to do with this!"

Bonaparte shook his head at Crowler's incompetence.

"Wrong article, Chancellor! Article 217 states that, should the Chancellor lose his mind, the Vice Chancellor obtains all control!"

Crowler backed away slightly.

"WHAT? Please! If anyone has lost his mind here, it's YOU! You're obsessed with tearing down a Dormitory!"

Bonaparte seethed.

"Those slackers deserve it!"

Crowler shook his head.

"You're certifiably insane! Besides, if that Dorm's getting demolished… I want to get the credit for it!"

Bonaparte continued being furious.

"So the truth comes out! All you care about is your own ego!

Crowler and Bonaparte turned away from each other. Then they sat back down. Bonaparte had a bored look on his face as he raised one index finger.

"Those Slifer Reds are ruining this school's reputation… And as for you, mon frère… Name one thing you've done to improve the public image of this institution!"

Crowler was beginning to get nervous now.

"Uh… I don't need to defend myself! The Red Dorm STAYS, and that's final!"

Bonaparte put both his elbows on the table and balanced his chin on his hands. He had a devilish smirk on his face.

"Hmph… In the tradition of this school… Let's settle this matter in a duel… Unless, of course… You're scared…"

Crowler wildly shook his head.

"G-Get your game on!"

Yugioh GX! –

Jaden and the gang, minus Bastion and Syrus, were chilling outside the Slifer Red Dorm.

Chazz crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"… Bastion's been acting weirder lately, don't you think? Sure, he's always been a bit of an attention grabber… but c'mon! Joining some 'Society of Light'? That's gotta be his poorest, yet most successful, attempt at getting everyone's attention yet! No one doubts Bastion's skills… so why does he feel the need to be noticed? Seriously!"

Hassleberry shook his head and looked to the dirt road leading to the Slifer Red Dorm.

"I dunno… But ever since Jaden's returned, he's been a little to quiet, wouldn't ya say?"

Alexis nodded.

"… Maybe he just needs some time on his own. He hasn't exactly been too 'popular' lately, but Jaden has never been more popular. He could be depressed."

Jaden raised a fist in the air and grinned madly.

"Then maybe it's time for Bastion and I to get our game on! A duel always cheers me up!"

Chazz closed his eyes and sighed.

"Not everyone is like you, Jaden. Besides, if you were to beat him again, he'd be even more depressed, because he's all about finding the one surefire way to beat you. It's what he lives for. You wouldn't be helping at all."

Jaden blinked and gave a cheesy smile.

"But dueling's my life! It's how I solve everything! Trust me, one duel with me, and Bastion will be back to normal in no time!"

Everyone but Jaden groaned at once. Jaden was being Jaden… Poor, naïve Jaden. Syrus ran up shortly after Jaden had finished laughing his head off. Despite the panting, he spoke quite clearly.

"Th-They're coming! They're gonna tear down the Slifer Red Dorm, for real this time! It's the end of the wooorld!"

Chazz raised an eyebrow at Syrus, who was now taking slow and deep breaths as he leaned on his knees with both hands.

"So, they're gonna go through with tearing down our Dorm…?"

Hassleberry crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Who's your source, Private?"

Alexis groaned.

"Guys! One at a time!"

Syrus nodded.

"I-I heard them! Crowler and Bonaparte were arguing about it in the Conference Room! They said the Red Dorm has to go!"

Chazz shook his head and smirked.

"They've been threatening to do that all year, dork… In fact, that's all they've been trying to do. … Other than trying to get Duel Academy into the spotlight, of course."

Hassleberry shook his head.

"Yeah, they're all talk…"

"Must we duel in front of the students…?"

Crowler whined as he and Bonaparte continued to walk to the Slifer Red Dorm. The gang turned their attention to the pair as they got ever closer. Bonaparte shook his head.

"Oh? Having second thoughts, Crowler…?"

Crowler crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Hardly! I just think that in public we should at least appear to be in agreement!"

Bonaparte looked up at Crowler and narrowed his eyes.

"We are! We agree to duel! You and I are a unified front!"

Crowler huffed.

"Fine, prepare to eat dirt, Shorty."

Bonaparte closed his eyes and sighed.

"You too, Abaddon."

Syrus blinked.

"Hold on… They're going to duel…?"

Alexis could only stare in disbelief.

"But that means Crowler will be defending us!"

Hassleberry's eyes widened.

"But he's the enemy!"

Chazz shook his head at the two stooges.

"Well, apparently he's found another enemy."

Jaden leaped to his feet and ran in place.

"Crowler VS Bonaparte? Awesome! Talk about a sweet duel!"

Bastion came walking up the path to the Slifer Red Dorm, much slower than Crowler and Bonaparte did. It was apparent that he was deep in thought.

_Now how can I go about creating that White Dorm…? It's not like an opportunity will just present itself…_

That's when Bastion looked up and witnessed Crowler, Bonaparte, the wrecking ball, and the construction workers standing in front of the Slifer Red Dorm. When he saw that, he just shook his head in amazement.

_… Why must Destiny prove me wrong every time…?_

Bastion ran and stood in the center of the 'Dueling Ring'.

"Wait! Just what is going on! Are you two…?"

Bonaparte nodded and chuckled.

"That's right, kid… We're dueling for the fate of the Slifer Red Dorm. I win, and, well… Let's just say, "It's about time!" Au Revoire, Reds!"

Steam came out of Crowler's nose.

"But that isn't going to happen! Because when I win, the Red Dorm STAYS! And you will give up trying to tear it down!"

Crowler said pointing directly at Bonaparte. Bastion chuckled and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"… But why waste such a perfectly good Dormitory? Destroying it is simply pointless…"

Crowler smirked at Bonaparte.

"See? At least the students are sensible!"

Bastion frowned and narrowed his eyes at Crowler.

"… But keeping it simply 'Slifer Red' isn't really beneficial either." Bonaparte laughed at Crowler's horrified expression. Bastion wasn't on either side. Bastion took a step back and activated his duel disk. "I request to be let into this duel! You two are hardly going to improve the school's reputation by making rash decisions like this! It's time you saw… the Light!"

Crowler blinked and simply stared at Bastion. He was nuts.

"… And I thought Bonaparte was mad… Bastion has LOST it…"

Bonaparte snickered and activated his special duel disk.

"Fine by moi! Beating one lunatic would've been no fun anyway!"

Crowler snorted and activated his duel disk, which was similar to Bonaparte's.

"Like that will happen, Shorty! YOU'RE the crazy ones! I'm the only sane duelist here!"

Bastion scoffed and drew his first five cards.

"You're both certifiably not in your right minds… But that will all change after this duel. Now let's just duel!"

Bastion: 4000

Crowler: 4000

Bonaparte: 4000

Crowler and Bonaparte drew their first five cards simultaneously. Then, Bonaparte drew his sixth card.

"Tall people go last! Monster number un! My trusty Toy Soldier!

(800/300)

"My turn is fin!"

Crowler was the next one to draw.

"Monster number deux! My Ancient Gear Soldier!

(1300/1300)

"Now my turn is fin!"

Jaden scratched his head in confusion.

"Why didn't Crowler attack? He could've attacked!"

Hassleberry stared at Jaden, making sure he was being serious.

"Uh… Sarge? You feeling alright?"

Chazz rolled his eyes and continued staring at the three duelists.

"What? You sleep through that class? Somebody tell him!"

Alexis offered Jaden a small smile, feeling a little sorry for him.

"It's like this: In a Triangle Duel, no one can attack on their first turn. After the third player ends their turn, it's all clear."

Jaden turned from Alexis back to the duel.

"Ohhh!"

Jaden laughed sheepishly. Bastion rolled his eyes and drew his sixth card.

"I… will activate a field spell. Zenolite, The Ancient Sanctuary of the Light!

Everyone's eyes widened when the field spell emerged onto the field. It was similar to the Sanctuary in the Sky, but the most notable difference was that there was nothing but light surrounding the ancient temple-like structure. The Sanctuary had a Greek feel to it.

Chazz raised an eyebrow. He had seen all of Bastion's decks in action at least once, and 'Zenolite' was not in any of them.

"What's going on…? Did I miss an Industrial Illusions Prize Giveaway or something? C'mon! First Jaden and his lame space cadets, and now Bastion and his… er… I dunno. Anyway, point is, now I'm mad!"

Everyone but Jaden and Bastion sweatdropped. Jaden just looked excited as he leapt up and down.

"This is the coolest! I gotta get my game on! These Zeno-whatevers sound cool!"

Bastion smirked and ended his turn.

"… It's your move, Bonaparte!"

Bonaparte smirked.

"Somebody's asking for it!"

Bastion rolled his eyes and didn't say a word.

"…"

_Oh please. All I need is this Field Spell. Once its effects begin, you and Crowler shall see the Light!_

Bonaparte took out his deck and picked out his other two Toy Soldiers.

"During my Standby Phase, Toy Soldier allows me to summon up to two more Toy Soldiers from my deck!

(800/300) x 2

"Then… I'll attack! Open fire on the kid with the over-bleached clothes!"

Bastion didn't budge as all three shots from the Toy Soldiers hit him.

"…"

Bastion: 1600

Crowler: 4000

Bonaparte: 4000

Chazz chuckled as the dust cleared.

"That's what confidence gets ya! A world of hurt! Sorry, but just because you got new cards doesn't make you any better than you were before, dork!"

Chazz just continued laughing in Bastion's face. Alexis frowned and shook her head.

"Oh boy…"

Jaden turned to Alexis and grinned.

"Ah, just let Chazz make all the smug remarks he wants! The duel's young! Bastion still has at least thirty nine more cards that we have yet to see anyway!"

As Jaden beamed at Alexis, Alexis returned his smile. Chazz crossed his arms in front of his chest and grumbled. Jaden had a point.

Bonaparte continued smirking.

"And now I'll set these three cards facedown… and end my turn."

Bonaparte's hand: 3

Crowler drew his next card.

"Well, I guess it's my turn! And I will summon another Ancient Gear Soldier. Then, I'll activate Ancient Gear Castle! And finally… I'll equip one of my Ancient Gear Soldiers with Ancient Gear Tank! Now… if I attack you, Bastion… You lose. But… I have a feeling that I'd better attack that pudgy little man! Ancient Gear Soldiers! ATTACK!"

Two of Bonaparte's Toy Soldiers shattered, and Bonaparte growled as he took damage.

Bastion: 1600

Crowler: 4000

Bonaparte: 1800

Bonaparte growled at Crowler and roared.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be! Well, fine! I was gonna finish off Bastion, but it looks like I have to settle matters with you first!"

Crowler chortled and set a card facedown.

Crowler's hand: 2

"Well, I guess that's that. Your turn, bleach man! Er… Bastion."

Bastion rolled his eyes and drew another card.

"… Due to Zenolite's effect, you two get a Life Point boost equal to the damage you inflicted on your opponents. Congratulations.

Bonaparte and Crowler laughed gleefully as they received the bonus.

Bastion: 1600

Crowler: 6200

Bonaparte: 4200

Bastion raised a card up.

"… As for me, I get to summon a monster with equal or fewer attack points to the Life Points I lost. And here's the best part: I don't have to worry about Summoning Requirements! So, come forth! Enlightened Beast of Zenolite!

(2400/1600)

Chazz grumbled as the card was played.

"… I hate it when Slacker's right…"

A strange white beast that looked like a combination of a dragon, a lion, and a pinch of Leviathan emerged onto the field. It seemed to be basking in the light that seemed to emit from Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light. Bastion smirked.

"Due to Zenolite and Enlightened Beast of Zenolite being on the field together, my Beast is unaffected by Spells, Traps, and Monster Effects. And whenever my Beast destroys a monster, I get a bonus in Life Points equal to the destroyed monster's Attack. Now… Enlightened Beast! Take out the Ancient Gear Soldier with the most Attack Points!

The Beast leapt and lunged at the Ancient Gear Soldier in the Ancient Gear Tank. Of course, Crowler had his trap card ready.

"Go, Covering Fire! With this card, my Ancient Gear Soldier is safe! See, when one of my monsters is attacked, say like my Ancient Gear Soldier… I can add the total Attack Points of another monster I happen to have on side of the field to the Ancient Gear Soldier being attacked during the Damage Step. And my other Ancient Gear Soldier happens to have 1600 Attack Points, Courtesy of a 300 Point boost from my Ancient Gear Castle. Which makes a total of 3800 Attack Points… Looks like your move backfired!"

Bastion smirked and held up a card from his hand.

"Not quite! I activate Roar of the Enlightened Beast! This card can only be activated when a trap card is activated during an Attack made by my Enlightened Beast of Zenolite! What happens now? Your Trap is negated, and you take an additional 500 points of damage. But fortunately for you, you get to draw two cards."

Crowler drew two cards and winced as he took the oncoming attack and damage.

Bastion: 3800

Crowler: 5500

Bonaparte: 4200

Crowler pointed at Bastion.

"W-Well… Someone needs a refresher course! Whenever Ancient Gear Tank is destroyed, you lose 600 Life Points!"

Bastion shook his head and took the damage without complaint.

Bastion: 3200

Crowler: 5500

Bonaparte: 4200

Bastion held up a card triumphantly.

"Hmph… Do all the Damage you want. I've already foreseen this entire Duel, so I care not for the small Damage dealt. But you two… aren't going to like this. I play Striking a Blow for Destiny! Now each of my opponents takes 300 Points of damage for every card on their field! Crowler, you get off pretty easy. Bonaparte… is not so fortunate."

Crowler and Bonaparte cried out as they took their 'medicine'.

Bastion: 3200

Crowler: 4900

Bonaparte: 3000

Bastion shrugged as Crowler and Bonaparte shot daggers at him with their eyes.

"… You brought this on yourselves, I'm afraid. Moving on… I play Infernal White! Now both of you get to see my Hand for the rest of the Duel. Then I activate my Gold Sarcophagus. I remove one card from my deck from play, and, in two rounds, I get it back. Naturally, you two get to see it. It's my Great Awakening Spell Card. Oh, and I set this card facedown. … Your move, Bonaparte."

Bastion's Hand: 0

Bastion said wistfully. Bonaparte grumbled and drew his next card.

"What's the point…? We know what he just played…"

Bastion smirked and motioned to his Spell Card.

"The point is this, Bonaparte! You take 600 Points of damage during your Standby Phase! And you have Infernal White to thank!"

Bonaparte grumbled some more as he took the damage.

Bastion: 3200

Crowler: 4900

Bonaparte: 2400

Bonaparte sorted through the cards in his hand.

"Well, whatever. I activate a devastating Spell called Crowning of the Emperor! So I tribute my remaining Toy Soldier to call forth Toy Emperor to my frontline!

(2300/800)

Bonaparte put his hands to his hips and laughed.

"Why stop there…? I'll also add a Toy Sword to my Toy Emperor! Giving him an 800 Point boost! HA!

(3100/800)

Bonaparte pointed at Crowler.

"Now, while it may be fun to just attack Bastion and finish him off before he can show us his moves… I've got a job to do! Toy Emperor! Destroy that Ancient Gear Soldier!"

Crowler screamed as Toy Emperor sunk his sword into Ancient Gear Soldier and cut it in half. Ancient Gear Soldier exploded.

Bastion: 3200

Crowler: 3300

Bonaparte: 2400

The wrecking ball finally tore into the Slifer Red Dorm now that Bonaparte had gotten Crowler below 4000 Life Points. Crowler looked like he had seen a ghost as the wrecking ball tore into the Dorm.

Bonaparte took out his deck and snickered.

"And whenever Toy Emperor makes short work of one of your monsters… I can add a trap card from my deck to my hand, mon frère! So, with that… I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Bonaparte's Hand: 2

Crowler trembled a little bit. He had gone from the one being in charge of the duel to the exact opposite in just a few minutes. Bonaparte and Bastion both had powerful Monsters out, and both threatened to finish him off. Crowler simply didn't know where to start.

Jaden clenched his hands into fists and called out to Crowler.

"Chancellor! Don't give up! You can still win this! A duel's not over until the last card's played!"

Crowler's lip trembled slightly, but he stood straight up, now reinvigorated.

Crowler drew and accepted the damage he had to take in his Standby Phase.

"… I set two cards facedown and activate Heavy Storm! So now… all Spells and Traps on the field are INSTANTLY destroyed! Time to wave your little white flags!"

Bastion shook his head and activated his facedown.

"Not quite! I'm alright with Bonaparte and you losing your cards… but my Zenolite… is staying right here! After I tribute my Enlightened Beast, and send five additional 'Enlightened' Monsters from my deck to the graveyard… I can protect Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light from being destroyed this turn! Protection of the Sanctuary also, as a bonus, allows me to select one trap card from my deck and place it on the field after your End Phase is complete. I can't activate it until my turn, however. It's quite the card, if I do say so myself."

Bonaparte fumed and activated his facedown.

"Well, I'm not losing anything! My Unfair Negotiation allows me to send my Toy Emperor's Toy Sword to the Graveyard to protect all my other facedowns! As compensation, Crowler, you get to draw one card! Oh well, looks like you're the only one who loses!"

Crowler smirked as his Ancient Gear Castle and two facedowns were taken out.

"I didn't lose anything! Anything of value, that is! I just sent two Statue of the Wicked to the graveyard! Now I get two Statue of the Wicked Tokens! But they won't stay long… because I'm sacrificing them both for my Ancient Gear Golem!

(3000/3000)

Jaden, Hassleberry, Syrus, Alexis, and Chazz all looked relieved at the sight of Crowler's 'Ace'. Syrus, who hadn't been able to speak up until now, finally found his voice.

"Hey! It looks like Crowler might still have a shot at this after all!"

Jaden, Hassleberry, Alexis, and Chazz all nodded in agreement.

Crowler pumped his fist into the air and got all excited.

"Now it's time to…"

Bonaparte cut him off rather rudely.

"Now it's time for me to step in! I activate Toy Cannon! Your Golem is forced to go into Defense Mode… and you take 400 Points of Damage!"

Crowler winced as a cannonball hit him in the groin.

"That hurt!"

Bastion: 3200

Crowler: 2400

Bonaparte: 2400

Bonaparte wagged his pointer finger and continued smirking proudly.

"Don't think I'm done though! With Gulliver Chain, your Gear Golem is forced to STAY in Defense Mode for the rest of the duel! HAHAHA!"

Crowler grumbled and activated his last card.

"… Well, you'll still be feeling the pain, Shorty! I play Ancient Gear Explosive! So by destroying my Golem… you lose 1500 Life Points! TAKE THAT!"

Bonaparte whimpered as the grenade-like object bounced towards him.

"WAH!"

Bastion: 3200

Crowler: 2400

Bonaparte: 900

Crowler's Hand: 0

Bastion shook his head. Crowler was defenseless, and it was almost time to bring out his trump card.

"… My move! And Crowler, my trap appeared at your End Phase. Now I can activate it during my Standby Phase! Ever heard of Pyro Clock of Destiny? Well, I advance this Duel one turn. That's what happens whenever it's used. And since it's been 'two' turns, I can add Great Awakening to my hand… Oh, and Bonaparte gets a bonus because he caused you Battle Damage, Crowler. Your Ancient Gear Explosive's inflicted damage does not count as battle damage, I'm afraid.

Bastion: 3200

Crowler: 2400

Bonaparte: 2400

Bastion held up Great Awakening.

"… But enough of this child's play! I activate Great Awakening! And as soon as I send Zenolite, Ancient Sanctuary of the Light to my graveyard… the real fun can begin!

The Field Spell vanished, and a rumbling could be heard. The ground shook, and a new hologram started to rise up. It looked like some kind of tower, and not a friendly one. When it was all out on the field, it had four gigantic legs, and an impressive size and height.

(0/0)

Bastion could only smirk at their dumbfounded faces.

"… Say hello to Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress, gentlemen! I'm afraid I can't elaborate on what it can do, as I have to wait three turns before I can claim victory… But that shouldn't be a problem! I activate Swords of Revealing Light! Simply put, gents: I can't be touched for three turns! Unfortunately… the Swords protect you gents as well. No one but me can attack for three turns. So… it's your move, Bonaparte."

Bastion's Hand: 0

Chazz sighed as Bastion ended his turn.

"So he's got some lame tower… it still won't do him any good. If Bonaparte and Crowler can put aside their differences for now, they could take him out…"

Alexis looked at Bonaparte and Crowler, concerned.

"… That's just it… Bonaparte and Crowler have been at each other's throats, and that's working to Bastion's advantage…"

Hassleberry nodded in agreement.

"It's a little too late to point it out, too… Unless they destroy those Swords… Well…"

Syrus weakly nodded and stared meekly at all three duelists.

"… They're done for. According to Bastion, anyway…"

Jaden called out to both Crowler and Bonaparte, not appearing to share the same opinion as the rest of them.

"C'mon, Chancellor! Vice-Chancellor! You can still win this! Work together, this doesn't have to end in your defeat! Remember: A duel's not over until the last card's played!"

Bastion sighed and shook his head.

"I've foreseen this entire duel… It's hopeless."

Bonaparte sneered at Bastion as he drew his next card.

"I'm tearing your tower down before it can strut its stuff, kid… But… I can't seem to do anything about it… for now… So I'll lay these two facedown… and end my turn."

Bonaparte's Hand: 1

Crowler snorted and drew.

"That's all you can do, Bonaparte? Figures.

Crowler stared at the card he drew. He had his poker face on.

"… I'll lay this facedown… and end my turn."

Crowler's Hand: 0

Bastion already knew what Crowler had played… but Bonaparte was completely clueless, which is why he didn't quite get the stare that Crowler was giving him. It was like he was trying to communicate something without alerting Bastion. Bonaparte didn't want to spoil it, so he simply shrugged.

Bastion didn't care that his 'enemies' were plotting against him, though. He drew his next card.

"Very well, gents! I activate Pot of Greed! I draw two cards… and end my turn. Better destroy my Tower while you still can, Bonaparte! Of course… since one turn has elapsed since I summoned Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light…"

Bonaparte screamed at Bastion.

"SHUT UP! I've had ENOUGH with your 'Zenolite'-trash! I'm gonna finish you off once and for all… Crowler, would you mind lending a hand?"

Bonaparte assumed that look that Crowler had given him earlier was to prepare him for a counterstrike against Bastion's 'strongest' card. And he was right.

"Go, Dust Tornado! So now bid your Swords of Revealing Light au revoire!"

Bastion shook his head as Crowler took out one of his last lines of defense. Bonaparte sneered at Bastion. Again.

"I know how you anticipated us to be fighting each other… but I'm not so naïve that I'd fight that abomination on my own! Thanks to Crowler, I can finally tear your tower down…

Bonaparte drew, then activated one of his two facedowns immediately.

"I activate Toy Army Revolution! Here's how it works… when my Toy Emperor destroys a monster, my opponent takes an additional 400 points of damage for each Toy Soldier in my graveyard. YOU'VE LOST! Toy Emperor… ATTACK!"

Bastion simply stared at Toy Emperor as it rode its steed into Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light and slashed it with its sword. There appeared to be an explosion, but when the dust cleared… Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light was still standing, and Bastion had yet to lose a single Life Point. He did have one less card in his hand, though.

Bonaparte fell down and stared at Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light in shock. Bastion shook his head and chuckled at Bonaparte's naïveté.

"What's wrong Bonaparte? You look like you've seen a ghost. Well, you haven't. Before you rudely cut in, I was about to explain that since one turn has elapsed since Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light was summoned to the field, it can't be destroyed in battle. As for why I haven't lost a single Life Point… Well… I simply tossed Enlightened Servant of Zenolite… and that made all battle damage 0. Tough break. If you had only listened…"

Bonaparte growled and activated his second facedown.

"Well, UNLUCKILY for you… I have a back-up plan! And this one can't be stopped! I activate The Emperor's Last Stand! Now Toy Emperor gets a second attack… and then he is removed from play. Yeah, your monster will survive my Emperor's final assault… but your Life Points are a different story, mon frère!"

Bastion's eyes widened a little at the Toy Emperor's seemingly unprecedented second attack. He took the damage with dignity, though.

Bastion: 900

Crowler: 2400

Bonaparte: 2400

Bonaparte's Hand: 2

Bonaparte looked to Crowler.

"… I leave the destruction of Bastion in your hands! Just get an Ancient Gear Soldier or something… Because otherwise, we'll be seeing that thing become more powerful after another turn's elapsed! I'm sure of it!"

Crowler nodded and drew his next card. He seemed a little disappointed, but shrugged it off. He set it facedown.

"… Not much else I can do. Your move, Bastion."

Crowler's Hand: 0

Bastion gleefully drew his next card. He held up a single finger.

"One more turn. One more turn, and Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light will be running at full capacity! With another turn having elapsed, Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light has all but ensured that he cannot be destroyed. It cannot be destroyed by battle, and now it cannot be destroyed by Spells, Traps, or Monster Effects. It's your move, Bonaparte… Make it count…"

Bastion's Hand: 2

The tension in the air was thick. Nobody, except Bastion, knew what Zenolite, The Mobile Fortress of the Light could do at 'full capacity', but they were all quite sure that they didn't want to know.

Syrus looked at the duel gloomily.

"Th-They still have a shot, right…?"

Chazz snorted and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Well, they should. Bastion's let himself wide open for an attack. Again. Sure, that thing's indestructible… But Bastion's Life Points aren't…"

Alexis shook her head and stared at Bastion cautiously.

"Don't underestimate Bastion, though… He protected his Life Points before… All he needs to do is repel their attempted attacks during each of their turns… and he's won."

Hassleberry heaved a sigh and stared at Crowler and Bonaparte, feeling sorry for them.

"Hoo boy. This duel's gettin' intense."

Jaden gleefully laughed and jumped up and down excitedly.

"This is what dueling's all about! I'm not too worried about what's to come… But I AM so totally stoked!"

All of Jaden's friends sweatdropped at Jaden's remark. He had completely forgotten what was at stake here…

Bonaparte drew his next card glumly and stared at it in disdain.

"Well… I end my turn. There is NOTHING that I can do… WHY did I allow things to go this far…? I coulda beaten his tacky white pants off!"

Bonaparte fell to his knees in defeat, not really realizing Crowler still had a plan. Crowler looked at Bonaparte in pity.

"What? Giving up so soon? A duel's not over until the last card's played! Now stand up! You're the Vice-Chancellor! Students look up to you!"

Bonaparte looked up at Crowler contemptuously.

"… Look. All I'm saying is: It's over! No matter what you draw now…"

Crowler fumed and raised a fist at Bonaparte.

"Oh, just shut up! Time to show you the true meaning behind what I've just said! Watch… and LEARN!

Crowler drew his next card confidently. All eyes were on him. Crowler revealed his card to everyone, clearly pleased. It was Ancient Gear Golem. Crowler pointed at Bonaparte.

"Told you!"

Bonaparte raised his pointer finger to object.

"B-But it's too high of a level! You don't have any sacrifices!"

Crowler shook his pointer finger at Bonaparte and revealed his facedown.

"I've got all that I need right here! Ancient Gear Factory! With this, if I happen to have an 'Ancient Gear' Monster that I want to play from my hand… And if I happen to have 'Ancient Gear' Monsters in my Graveyard whose total Level Stars equal to double the amount of the Golem in my hand… We're in business! I just have to remove my two Ancient Gear Soldiers and my other Ancient Gear Golem from play! Then I can summon Ancient Gear Golem without making a sacrifice!

Crowler laughed at Bastion mockingly as his Ace appeared on the field once more.

"Time to wave your little white flag, Bastion!"

Bonaparte looked up at Golem, clearly impressed.

"Never doubted you for a minute!"

Bastion had his eyes closed, and his arms crossed in front of his chest. He wasn't saying a word.

"…"

Crowler snorted at Bonaparte and pointed at Bastion's 'Ultimate Monster'.

"Whatever, Shorty! Golem, take Bastion out once and for all!"

Bastion didn't move as Ancient Gear Golem closed in on Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light. When the dust cleared, Bastion was still standing with Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light. Not a Life Point was missing. Bastion held up a card that wasn't from his hand.

"… I remove Enlightened Mage of Zenolite from my Graveyard… and all Battle Damage is 0! Honestly, how did you not see that coming, Crowler…?"

Bonaparte looked at his hand and face palmed himself. He could've prevented Bastion's Card Effect… if he hadn't given up. But he did, and now it was all over. Bonaparte grumbled as Crowler's turn was forced to end.

Crowler twitched and looked up at Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light in horror.

"N-No…!"

Bastion drew his next card just as confidently as Crowler had his. He smirked and revealed his hand to everyone. All three cards in his hand were 'Enlightened' Monsters.

"I'm afraid so… And look! Since three turns have elapsed with Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light on my side of the field… I can remove all three cards from my hand from play. Then, for each one removed from the game… You both take 1000 Points of Damage! Not a bad Special Effect, hmm…? And I seem to recall… you both only have 2400 Life Points left! My sincerest condolences, but this duel is OVER! AHAHAHA!"

Jaden, Syrus, Hassleberry, Alexis, and Chazz all watched on in horror as Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light fired enormous beams of Light at both Crowler and Bonaparte. After the Light made contact, the whole field was enveloped in Light, and no one could see a thing.

Once the Light had disappeared after several moments, everyone but Bastion stared at Crowler and Bonaparte lying crumpled on the ground, shocked.

Bastion: 900

Crowler: 0

Bonaparte: 0

As one, Jaden and his friends shouted.

"They lost!"

Bastion deactivated his duel disk and began to walk away from the Slifer Red Dorm. Jaden ran after Bastion and grabbed his wrist tightly. Bastion turned around and raised an eyebrow at Jaden.

"S-So wait… that's it? You're just gonna walk away? What about the Slifer Red Dorm!"

Bastion chuckled, removed Jaden's hand, and slightly massaged his wrist.

"To be honest, Jaden… The Slifer Red Dorm's nice… but it's not a good place to make a White Dorm. I only dueled to test the limits of my latest deck… and the test seemed to be a smashing success! I'll let the Slifer Red Dorm stay… if only because I need you here to eventually defeat you and become the strongest duelist at this prestigious Academy."

Jaden raised his duel disk and stared into Bastion's pupils determinedly.

"Then let's throw down right now! I don't know why you're trying to make a new White Dorm… but I won't let you! Let's throw down!"

Bastion stared at Jaden for a few minutes then broke out into a mocking laugh.

"Jaden… I would like nothing more than to 'throw down' with you now… But. I refuse your challenge for one reason: You would lose. I want a challenge. Once I establish a new White Dorm… And you become much stronger than you are now… Then I will duel you. Until then… Good day."

Bastion walked away from Jaden and didn't say or do anything else. He didn't even laugh mockingly. Jaden slumped to the ground Alexis ran up to him.

"Jaden! You might wanna come see this…"

Jaden got up and turned to Alexis.

"Huh…?"

Alexis brought Jaden back to the Slifer Red Dorm, and the first thing that Jaden saw was Crowler and Bonaparte were standing. Their eyes were different, and their faces were emotionless.

Chazz growled and stomped the ground furiously.

"This is all Bastion's fault… Now these two have lost it!"

Hassleberry shrugged and shook his head.

"Not that they 'had it' to begin with."

Simultaneously, Crowler and Bonaparte shouted cheerfully and raised their hands to the sky.

"Oh, the Light is GLORIOUS! WHY didn't I see it before?"

Bonaparte nodded in agreement and they both smiled creepily.

"Yes! So bright! So magnificent! The Light shines on all of us!"

Crowler beamed at everyone and walked away from the Slifer Red Dorm, not having a care in the world anymore.

"Well, time to get going, Bonaparte! We have to help Bastion get that White Dorm up and running!"

Bonaparte beamed only at Crowler and walked alongside Crowler, like they were never enemies.

"Yes! Trés magnifique! Forget Red, Yellow, and Blue… White will rule the School and bring peace to the whole world!"

Both sighed contentedly, then giggled like little school girls. Jaden, Syrus, Hassleberry, Alexis and Chazz only looked on in concern. Jaden closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists.

"This isn't over!" Jaden opened his eyes and stared at Duel Academy in the distance with nothing but determination. "Bastion… Crowler… Bonaparte… We'll get ya guys back to normal! I PROMISE!"

**Next Episode: Enlightenment! **

** Featured Cards:**

** Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light! : Field Spell. Effect: As long as this card remains face up on your side of the field, whenever your opponent causes Battle Damage, your opponent gains Life Points equal to the Damage they inflicted by Battle. In addition, you can summon any 'Enlightened' Monster with equal or fewer attack points to the Damage you took in Battle last turn, ignoring Summoning Requirements. **

** Enlightened Beast of Zenolite: (2400/1600) 6-Stars, Beast, Light-Attribute. Effect: Whenever this card destroys a Monster in Battle, you gain Life Points equal to the Destroyed Monster's Attack Points. This Card is Unaffected by Spells, Traps, and Monster Effects as long as 'Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light' is on the field. **

** Roar of the Enlightened Beast: Quick-Play Spell Card. Effect: Activate this card when a trap card is activated during a Battle between The Enlightened Beast of Zenolite and an opponent's Monster. Negate the Trap and destroy it. Your Opponent takes 500 Damage, then he/she can draw two cards.**

** Striking A Blow for Destiny: Normal Spell Card. Effect: Deal 300 Damage to your Opponent(s) for every Card they have out on the field.**

** Toy Sword: Equip Spell Card. Effect: Equip this card to Toy Emperor. Toy Emperor gains 800 Attack Points. **

** Protection of the Sanctuary: Normal Trap Card. Effect: Activate this Card when your opponent attempts to destroy 'Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light', tribute one 'Enlightened' Monster on your side of the field and send five additional 'Enlightened' Monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard to grant 'Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light' immunity for one turn. When your Opponent Ends his/her Turn, set one Trap Card from your Deck on the field. **

** Unfair Negotiations: Normal Trap Card. Effect: Activate when an Opponent activates a Card that destroys other Spells and Traps. Tribute one Equip Card to grant all Spells and Traps on your side of the field immunity for one turn. Your Opponent then draws one Card from his/her Deck.**

** Great Awakening: Normal Spell Card. Send one 'Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light' to the Graveyard to Summon 'Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light'. **

** Zenolite, the Mobile Fortress of the Light: (0/0) 10-Stars, Machine, Light-Attribute. Effect: This Card can only be Summoned by the Effect of 'The Great Awakening'. When this Card has been on the field for one turn, this Card cannot be destroyed in Battle. When this Card has been on the field for two turns, this Card cannot be destroyed by Spells, Traps, Monster Effects, or by Battle. When this Card has been on the field for three turns, remove all 'Enlightened' Monsters in your Hand from play. Your Opponent takes 1000 Damage for each Card removed from play by this effect. When the effect ends, Remove this card from play.**

** Enlightened Servant of Zenolite: (300/300) 3-Stars, Spellcaster, Light-Attribute. Effect: Discard this Card to make all Battle Damage you take this turn 0.**

** Enlightened Mage of Zenolite: (500/600) 2-Stars, Spellcaster, Light-Attribute. Effect: Remove from play this Card from your Graveyard to make all Battle Damage you take this turn 0. **

** Toy Army Revolution: Normal Trap Card. Effect: When 'Toy Emperor' destroys a Monster by Battle, your Opponent takes 400 Damage for each 'Toy Soldier' in your Graveyard.**

** The Emperor's Last Stand: Normal Trap Card. Effect: Activate this Card when 'Toy Emperor' attacks and doesn't destroy a Monster. Toy Emperor can attack once more, and then removed from play.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long, I was in a creative slump. Writing the duel took forever… Hope ya like it. I could've written more commentary in the duel… And the duel's length probably could've been increased… but I was too tired to add anything else, and the Chapter and duel seemed good enough to me. For everyone's information: Hope to make a double Update next week. I attempted to this week, but just got lost in all the writing. Hopefully that won't be the case next week. Anyway… Here's the next Chapter. Bastion begins his reign as 'King' over the new White Dorm. … Until Seth starts issuing orders and, eventually, 'enrolls' at Duel Academy in the next couple of Chapters. On with the Chapter. **

The doors to the Ra Yellow cafeteria were opened wide when Bastion made his 'grand entrance.' Today would be the day that the White Dorm would take its place at Duel Academy. Crowler and Bonaparte were just waiting for Bastion to make the conversion of the Ra Yellow Dorm.

The Ra Yellow Dormitory had some renovations done by Professor Sartyr, obviously. The newest addition was a giant stone statue of Ra overlooking all of the cafeteria, which was made slightly bigger in recent months. All eyes in the room were on Bastion when he marched into the room, proudly bearing his White blazer.

One Ra decided to speak up.

"It's Bastion! Looks like he did go through with the wardrobe change after all…"

Another Ra spoke up.

"Don't interact with him, he might bleach your clothes, too!"

All the Ras in the cafeteria laughed at that, but Bastion didn't seem to mind. They were 'unenlightened', after all. Bastion chuckled as the laughter died down.

"Well… I may seem like a fool to you now… But duel me! And I won't seem so foolish after we've dueled. I assure you, it will be quick, easy… and painless."

One Ra scoffed at his claim.

"What? Are you trying to start a new trend or something? Dude, get over yourself."

Bastion chuckled again. The Ra was spot-on.

"Well… You could say that it will be a new 'trend'… See, I've become infused with the Power of the Light, gents. I am an elite member of the most powerful organization in the world, the Society of Light! One perk of being an elite member of said organization… entails possessing the power to dominate anyone in a duel. Of course… if you are all too SCARED to face me in a duel…"

Yet another Ra spoke his mind.

"WHAT! You're gonna take on ALL of us! There's gotta be at least a hundred of us here!"

Bastion laughed evilly. He pulled out a white fob watch and opened it to look at the time.

"Why not? I have all the time in the world. But to be completely honest and open with you… It won't take more than five minutes to beat each and every one of you."

The Ra who had just spoken narrowed his eyes at Bastion.

"Just what are you trying to say…?"

Bastion snapped his fingers, and all the doors that led into and out of the cafeteria automatically shut. Bastion smirked and activated his duel disk.

"… No one is leaving until they've had a duel with me… And believe me: I will KNOW when you've had a duel with me… Ahahaha…"

One Ra screamed in terror.

"Wh-What's happening!"

The Ra was referring to see a spinning 'Wheel' above Bastion, along with someone that he didn't recognize hovering over said wheel and cackling maniacally. Bastion shook his head and smirked proudly.

"You're beginning to see the Light!" Bastion was ready for a duel, and no one was leaving until someone dueled and beat Bastion, or so all the Ras thought. One Ra was brave and activated his duel disk. That was the beginning of the end, regrettably. Bastion laughed gleefully. "SHOW TIME!"

In mere minutes, on the outside, Light could be seen emitting from the inside of the Ra Dorm because of the large windows. And the screams inside got louder and louder as brilliant displays of Light got more frequent and larger. Other than the screaming, the only sounds were explosions and Bastion's maniacal laughter. Eventually, the screaming died down, and there was nothing but silence…

Meanwhile, at the Slifer Red Dorm, Jaden hadn't even gotten up yet. Chazz and Alexis were already up, and had already eaten breakfast. And Syrus and Hassleberry had just snuck down to get a bite to eat before it was all gone. By the time Jaden DID get up, breakfast was nearly all gone.

Jaden stared at his plate in horror. He had one strip of bacon and a side of burnt toast. Also, his cup of orange juice wasn't even half full. Jaden began to tear up.

"Ah, man… Why'd no one tell me breakfast was being served early…"

Alexis was with him and she was staring at him, feeling sorry for him.

"Well, ya snooze ya lose, Jay. There wasn't all that much to begin with."

Jaden looked up at Alexis, his lips trembling and his eyes making a 'puppy' stare.

"Could I have some Obelisk Blue breakfast… pleeeaaassseee…?"

Alexis shook her head and sighed.

"Sorry, Jay… but Obelisks eat even earlier, and I'm sure there's even less of that food left…"

Jaden looked down at his poor excuse for breakfast dejectedly, and Alexis looked away, not able to take the looks he was giving her.

A few minutes passed, and Chazz opened the door to the Slifer cafeteria.

"Uh… Slacker? 'Lex? You guys might want to come see this…"

Alexis and Jaden looked at each other and then back at Chazz. Jaden blinked.

"What's up…?"

Chazz motioned for them to follow him.

"C'mon… It'll be quicker if you just come see for yourselves…"  
>Alexis and Jaden were out of the Slifer cafeteria and right behind Chazz in a heartbeat…<p>

Before Chazz had run off to fetch Jaden and Alexis, Syrus and Hassleberry had decided to visit the Ra Yellow Dorm to cheer up Professor Sartyr. By the time they go there, though…

Bastion chuckled darkly.

"It's good to finally be acknowledged and admired! And soon… I will see to it that the entire world sees the Light!"

Bastion was seated on a mobile White throne, carried by four former Ras. The Ra Dorm looked like it had gotten a new paint job… and had gone through heavy renovations recently. Having completed the new paint job and made the new renovations, all those in the White Dorm had opted to take a break and relax outside. Every single member seemed to acknowledge Bastion as some kind of King, hence the throne he was sitting on.

All the students now in the White Dorm pumped their fists into the air.

"All hail the Society of Light! All hail Bastion! ALL HAIL BASTION!"

Bastion chuckled again and gazed admiringly at his adoring public.

"Thank you all! But… we must give credit to the person who is responsible for all of this! And that's Seth Phoenix!"

Again, as one, the crowd pumped their fists into the air and grinned like mad.

"ALL HAIL MASTER SETH!"

Hassleberry and Syrus, who had been watching the group up to this point, looked at each other, shocked.

"Wh-What's going on!"

Syrus exclaimed, clearly confused. Hassleberry only shrugged and stared at the group of students in White.

"I don't know… but Private Bastion has gone too far! Going insane is one thing… but spreading it around? Something needs to be done, ASAP!"

And that's when Chazz walked up. The new White Dorm piqued his curiosity.

"Hey, dorks! What's going on…?"  
>Syrus turned to Chazz and gesticulated madly.<p>

"Bastion's gone off the deep end! And everyone in Ra seems to have followed his lead!"

Chazz rolled his eyes and looked at Bastion seated on his throne in spite.

"… Hmph. Well, you dorks seem to be fine. Let me duel him… He'll be back to normal in no time."

Hassleberry shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Getting Private Bastion back is a Ra's job! Let me and Private Truesdale handle him."

Syrus twitched and stared at Hassleberry, like he was nuts.

"Are you NUTS?" Syrus motioned to the crowd and gesticulated again. "If THEY didn't stand a chance… What makes you think that YOU can make a difference?"

Hassleberry smirked mischievously. He jabbed a pointer finger into Syrus's chest and a thumb into his.

"You and me! If we double team him, we're sure to bring Private Bastion to his senses!"

Syrus fell backward and crawled away from Hassleberry slightly.

"N-NO! I'm not strong enough to take on Bastion! I'll be brainwashed within the first two turns!"

Hassleberry rolled his eyes and hoisted Syrus up off the ground.

"On your feet, Truesdale! Forward march! Our tag team is our last chance to redeem our Dorm!"

Syrus groaned and turned to Chazz and sighed.

"Chazz… could you go get Jay? I don't think I can do this without his support…"  
>Chazz sighed, nodded, and began to walk away. Meanwhile, Hassleberry began hauling Syrus to the White Dorm…<p>

Jaden didn't know what he was staring at, but he was sure that something wasn't right. By the time he realized what he WAS looking at, Alexis spoke for him.

"Wh-What happened to the Yellow Dorm?"

The 'Yellow' Dorm was now all White. It sparkled in the harsh sunlight, and it was hard to stare at for too long. As Chazz was about to explain for Alexis, Aster walked up and gave an explanation.

"Bastion happened. He marched into the Yellow Dorm this morning and took out all who were in Ra. It was a massacre, dude! And now… everyone in Ra is apart of the Society of Light. They're all mindless robots!"

Jaden clenched his teeth and shot Aster a determined look.

"And you just let him do this? What were you thinking! What about Syrus and Hassleberry?"

Aster shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his shoulders.

"… It's not like I had a choice. By the time I tried to make a move and stop Bastion, the doors to the place slammed shut and no one could get in! … Or out. As for your friends… well… they entered the lion's den right before you showed up. They're probably dueling him – Bastion - right now. They said something about trying to make him 'come to his senses'."

Jaden's eyes widened and he ran right into the White Dorm, leaving the others behind.

"Syrus! Hassleberry! Hold on, I'm coming!"

Alexis and Chazz ran in after Jaden, and Aster just walked in after them.

"Jaden… I hope you realize it may be too late…"

The interior of the Ra Dorm was just as White as the outside was. Despite how small the Dorm actually was initially, it was now like a labyrinth to Jaden, Alexis, and Chazz. Aster knew the reason behind the radical change in the Dorm, and that was because he witnessed the whole transformation of the Yellow Dorm. It amazed Aster how much could get done with so many hands and resources, and the backing of the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor. Thanks to Crowler and Bonaparte, they expanded the new White Dorm. The new White Dorm now rivaled the Blue Dorms in size, not to mention class. What piqued Aster's curiosity was a short, stubby man running about with Bastion, helping to organize the 'new and improved' facility. The man seemed familiar to Aster, and it bugged him. Badly. Aster admitted that he was in there just to see who the short man was, and nothing more. He was already used to high class luxury, and wasn't as easily impressed as Jaden and his friends.

Jaden, Alexis, and Chazz followed the sounds of cheers and found themselves in a ridiculously large arena. Painted entirely white, of course. Many seats surrounding the arena were taken up by students who had been apart of Ra Yellow initially, but it was obvious that not even half the seats were taken. It was almost as if… the arena was built to hold a bigger audience, as if they EXPECTED to be gaining more members soon. And overlooking the arena was a grand throne that was currently empty.

"YAAAY!

Jaden, Alexis, and Chazz shifted their attention to the center of the arena, where a short, bald man in a strange getup was quasi-dancing and waving at the audience as a lone spotlight shone down him. The man wore a red cape, a blazer similar to an Obelisk Blue Blazer, and white gloves and boots, along with a pair of glasses with swirls on them. The crowd seemed to be interacting with the strange man. The man had a strange high-pitched voice.

"HIII!" The man did a spin and leaped into the air. Then he held a palm to the audience. "Richter can feel it, can YOU feel it!"

The audience seemed to get more pumped.

"YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!"

Richter switched the palm he was extending to the audience.

"Richter is needing to FEEL it more! Richter SAID: Can you FEEL IT!"

The audience began pumping their fists into the air, clapping, and stomping, making small 'earthquakes'.

"YEEEAAAHHH!"

Richter nodded and jumped into the air again, elegantly landing on both feet.

"Richter feels it, too! It high fives Richter's face with pure AWESOMENESS! … But now it is being time for the Main Event!"

The audience's volume level was growing out of control now.

"ALL HAIL THE SOCIETY OF LIGHT!"

Richter chortled and expertly spun the mic in his hand. He extended a hand to one side of the arena, indicating that he would be making the introductions to whoever was dueling.

"First, we have our mighty Second-in-Command… BASTION!

The crowd erupted with applause as a dazzling spotlight shown down on Bastion, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was smirking. He gave no attempt to pump the crowd up further; Richter was doing a fine job doing that already. Richter made a motion for the audience to turn their attention to the other side of the ring.

"And our extra, super-special guests… The formidable duo… SYRUS AND HUCKLEBERRY!"

Both Syrus and Hassleberry were smirking up until the point that Hassleberry realized that Richter had mispronounced his name.

"Hey…!"

Richter chortled and twirled the mic again.

"Let us be giving the applause for our guests!"

The audience seemed to grant Syrus and Hassleberry an equal amount of cheer as an equally bright spotlight shone down on them in the ring. Hassleberry had to shield his eyes from the brightness, and Syrus just closed his eyes.

Jaden stared at his friends in disbelief, as they had to be crazy to go up against Bastion now. He beat Crowler and Bonaparte in one duel, and he had apparently dueled every single duelist that was a member of the audience now cheering him, and them, on. Jaden looked around and saw that Alexis and Chazz had already taken seats opposite those of the Society of Light, indicating that they weren't about to try and stop this duel. Jaden grudgingly joined them.

By the time Aster had gotten there, introductions were over, and Bastion, Syrus, and Hassleberry had activated their duel disks. Aster ignored them and focused on the figure that was getting off of the stage. He shook his head in disbelief. It was the briefest of glimpses, but Aster swore he'd recognized that man, and he was right.

"Richter… If you're involved in this… then HE is, too… Question is: What role does he play in the Society of Light…?"

Aster didn't bother sticking around for the duel. He got what he came for, now it was just a matter of confronting a certain someone…

Bastion: 4000

Syrus: 4000

Hassleberry: 4000

Bastion chuckled darkly and drew his first five cards. He stared at Syrus and Hassleberry arrogantly.

"If you surrender now… I will spare you the humiliation of defeat! Though I must confess… I already know both of your answers…"

Syrus nervously shook his head. His voice was shaky, too.

"L-Let's duel!"

Hassleberry was more determined and gruff.

"Enough! It's time you got that suit dirty, Private!"

Bastion chuckled again and drew a sixth card.

"Not going to happen… This is the cleanest room in the facility, and you are not going to get very far… either of you.

Bastion played a monster.

"… But enough of that! I summon Enlightened Fool of Zenolite! And then I will end my turn."

(1100/800)

A jester clad in complete white garments skipped onto the field, took off his hat, and waved it at Hassleberry and Syrus. He smiled mischievously.

Chazz smirked as the clown appeared. He looked incredibly dorky.

"Heh… Looks a lot like Bastion!"

Bastion heard the snide remark and smirked back.

"Actually, Chazz… I thought he took after you in style!"

Chazz glowered at Bastion as he ended his turn. Chazz grumbled and said no more.

Bastion's Hand: 5

Hassleberry grunted and drew his next card.

"Attention troops, this is your drill sergeant speaking! I'll special summon Gilasaurus, but he won't be around for long, 'cause I'm dismissing him to summon Dark Driceratops! Yeehaw!

(2400/1500)

"And I'll end my turn."

Hassleberry's Hand: 4

Syrus quivered and drew his sixth card shakily.

"O-Okay! I'll summon… Steamroid!

(1800/1800)

"A-And that's that."

Syrus's Hand: 5

Bastion shook his head and drew his next card.

"Well, those won't last you long! Observe! For I am taking you both on a trip… a trip to Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light!"

Instantly, the duelists and the surrounding audience were transported to the foreboding structure bathing in a blinding Light. Hassleberry groaned at the sight. Syrus shivered.

"Again? C'mon, now! You used this against Crowler and Bonaparte!"

Bastion snickered and wagged his pointer finger at Hassleberry.

"And against every Ra that has been converted! This card is VITAL to the Enlightened Brigade! Without the Light from this sacred place… at least half of my deck would be rendered useless! … But enough on that. It is time to use the Fool's ability! By dropping its Attack points by 500, it can destroy one card on your side of the field! And I choose Dark Driceratops!"

Hassleberry shielded his face as Dark Driceratops exploded in front of him.

"Argh! W-Well… Private Truesdale still has a monster! He'll thrash your Fool!"

Bastion cackled and aimed his palm at the Enlightened Fool.

"Not quite! Whenever the Enlightened Fool and Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light exist on the field together… The Enlightened Fool gains 1000 Attack Points! Fool, take out Steamroid!"

Hassleberry raised an eyebrow as the Enlightened Fool leapt into the air and charged towards Steamroid.

"But… why? Steamroid's stronger! You've gone A-Wall, son!"

Syrus nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"N-Not exactly… Whenever Steamroid's attacked, he loses 500 Attack Points. Ehe… Whoopsy."

Hassleberry groaned as Steamroid exploded and Syrus took damage.

Bastion: 4000

Syrus: 3700

Hassleberry: 4000

Bastion set one card facedown.

"… I guess that's that. You're both back at square one. I must say… I'm not very impressed with you Ras. Good thing I'm fixing it so that Ra is null and void! Ahahaha!"

Bastion's Hand: 4

Hassleberry drew his next card vehemently and glared at Bastion.

"Not gonna happen! Your little Society of Light Club is outta here!

Hassleberry sorted his hand and extended the field spell part of his duel disk.

"I'm eliminatin' your key card! Here comes Jurassic World! And then… here to say a few words… Sabersaurus!

(1900/500)

"And due to Jurassic World, Sabersaurus gets a 300 point boost!

(2200/800)

"Now crush that Fool! And don't forget: Without your Temple-thingy, that Fool loses a few points! 1000 big ones!"

Bastion: 2600

Syrus: 3700

Hassleberry: 4000

Hassleberry smirked as Bastion's field was nearly empty. He turned to Syrus and grinned.

"It's your turn, Private! The War's nearly over!"

Hassleberry's Hand: 3

Syrus drew his next card and summoned it.

"W-Well… It's your turn, Gyroid! Come out and play!

(1000/1000)

"Attack Bastion directly!"

Bastion: 1600

Syrus: 3700

Hassleberry: 4000

Bastion smirked and revealed his facedown.

"Thank you, Syrus! You've allowed me to bring back my key card… By Enlightened Rebirth, you shall be reborn! You see… when my Life Points are below the halfway point… that is, 2000… I can bring back Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light! In return, both you and Hassleberry may draw one card!"

Hassleberry and Syrus each drew a card, and Jurassic World vanished right before their eyes. In its place towered Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light. Hassleberry glowered at Bastion.

"You just HAD to bring that thing back, didn't you?"

Bastion laughed and crossed his arms in front of his chest and smirked at Hassleberry.

"I told you: It's my key card. Without Zenolite, half of my deck would be rendered useless. … Which is why the other 'half' is about bringing said card back, if it's ever destroyed. You don't stand a chance!"

Syrus held up a card and smirked for a change.

"I'd have to disagree with you there, Bastion… I play Mystical Space Typhoon! Which destroys your 'key card'! Too bad!"

Bastion's eyes widened slightly as Zenolite shattered to pieces. He glanced at Syrus and gave a small smile.

"… Not a bad move. Though it was foreseeable. In fact, I saw it coming. … Still. That move will not save you from the wrath of the Enlightened Brigade. It was all for naught."

Hassleberry pointed straight at Bastion.

"Son, you gotta move on! What's gone is gone. Don't go relyin' on a single card! It'll bring about your defeat!"

Bastion scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. My deck has been precisely organized and constructed for any situation. You destroy Zenolite? I revive it. You remove it from play? I'll bring it back. There is no viable solution to your dilemma. … No permanent one, anyway. Zenolite is one card that cannot be bested, not in my deck."

Syrus laid a card facedown. He stared at Bastion warily. He really was nuts to protect a single card to that extent. But it was Bastion's deck, so he had no say in it.

"… We'll see. Your move, Bastion."

Syrus's Hand: 4

Bastion chuckled and drew his next card swiftly.

"Very well! Time to demonstrate that I am in control of this duel once more! And it starts with my Cost Down Spell! By discarding one card from my hand, I lower the Level of every Monster in my hand by two! In other words, a Level Six Monster is now a Level Four! Such as my Enlightened Knight of Zenolite!

(2500/2200)

"And here's my next Card: A deadly Card known as Enlightened Rejuvenation! This Card allows my Enlightened Knight of Zenolite to attack twice this Battle Phase! The only Cost is my having to discard my entire hand… Which won't be a problem. In addition to attacking twice, my Knight gets a slight power boost due to his Effect: Anytime a Spell Card is activated, he gains 300 Attack Points.

(2800/2200)

"Now attack! Your target: Syrus's Gyroid!"

Syrus backed up slightly.

"B-But… Gyroid won't be destroyed! He gets invincibility for one Attack!"

Bastion shook his head and pointed at his Knight.

"… But my Enlightened Knight of Zenolite can attack TWICE this turn, Syrus. Get ready, because this may hurt…"

Syrus cringed as he took massive damage.

Bastion: 1600

Syrus: 100

Hassleberry: 4000

Alexis stared at Syrus worriedly. That was a big hit, and Syrus didn't exactly look too good after that huge assault.

"I hope they can keep it together… Otherwise… Hassleberry won't have a partner for much longer… and he'll have to face Bastion… alone."

Chazz rolled his eyes and continued watching the duel.

"Uh… Duh? I dunno about you, but I don't think Syrus is gonna last much longer. Same with Hassleberry. Bastion just keeps comin' with combos…"

Jaden didn't say a word to Chazz or Alexis, but stared at Syrus with a LOT of concern in his eyes.

"Syrus…"

Bastion laughed maniacally.

"Syrus, you are nearly ours! You are SO CLOSE… One more push, and you will see the Light!"

Syrus quivered and was silent. He just didn't know what to say, he was scared of Bastion. Too scared. Hassleberry pointed a finger at Bastion's potent Monster.

"… But if I read your Card correctly… It comes with a price! When I end my turn, that thing is GONE! Leaving you WIDE open!"

Bastion shrugged and shook his head.

"… Your move, Hassleberry. Make it count. It could be your last."

Bastion's Hand: 0

Hassleberry drew his next card and smirked.

"It could be! Who knows? I might just crush ya before my next turn comes 'round. I activate my Big Evolution Pill! By sacrificing Sabersaurus, I'm allowed to summon any Dinosaur without making a sacrifice! … And I choose my Super Conductor Tyranno!

(3300/1400)

"Now Attack that Knight! Put him out of his misery!"

Bastion chuckled and closed his eyes.

"… You just activated a Spell Card. Enlightened Knight of Zenolite gains 300 Attack Points! So you'll barely cause any Damage!"

Hassleberry rolled his eyes and didn't let up on the Attack.

Bastion: 1400

Syrus: 100

Hassleberry: 4000

Hassleberry just laughed in Bastion's face.

"Well, you're wide open! So there! Private Truesdale'll finish you off, son!"

Hassleberry's Hand: 3

Syrus drew his next card. He didn't have anything strong enough to 'finish off' Bastion, though.

"A-Alright… I'll summon Submarineroid!

(800/1800)

Syrus pointed at Bastion.

"And now he'll wage a direct attack on you! Go Submarineroid!"

Bastion: 600

Syrus: 100

Hassleberry: 4000

Bastion chuckled as the small dust cloud that was generated from the assault dissipated.

"… Is that all you have, Syrus? I should hope not. All I need do is Summon a strong enough Monster, and I can wipe you out next turn."

Syrus frowned and set a card facedown.

"Submarineroid goes into Defense… It's your move, Bastion."

Syrus's Hand: 3

Bastion drew his next card elegantly and played it without looking at it.

"I summon Enlightened Pagan of Zenolite!

(1000/1000)

"By sacrificing my Pagan… I can get back the two cards I forced myself to discard last turn."

Bastion's Graveyard glowed as the two cards were extracted. Enlightened Pagan of Zenolite went to the Graveyard. Hassleberry blinked as Bastion just stared at his cards ecstatically.

"But… Why? What kinda cards are worth losing your only defense? They must be pretty powerful."

Bastion nodded. He activated one.

"And they are. Just look: My Enlightened Backup is now taking effect! Here's how it goes… I choose three of my Enlightened Brigade from my Deck… and then you choose which of them is to be sent to the card Graveyard. The other two are instantly Summoned to the field. The drawback is that I can't choose anything above a Level Four.

Bastion fished through his deck and pulled three cards out precisely, like he knew where they were already.

"… Now go and take your pick, Hassleberry. It's not hard. Plus, I know your choice anyway."

Hassleberry grunted and walked over to Bastion, eyeing the cards Bastion had chosen carefully.

"… Enlightened Sorcerer… Enlightened Soldier… Enlightened Monk of Zenolite… Hey! All of these are weak! Well… Whatever. Your Enlightened Sorcerer goes the Grave, I guess…"

(800/1000)

(700/600)

A Soldier and a Monk rose up from a portal of Light, both completely clad in White. Bastion chuckled as Hassleberry walked back to his original place in the triangle.

"… Wise choice. By sending Enlightened Sorcerer to the Graveyard, I am allowed to retrieve a single Spell Card from my deck. … And I have just the one in mind. Holy Initiation!

Bastion's two Monsters were engulfed in two separate pillars of Light, and Hassleberry's Monster was dragged over to Bastion's side of the field by a large field of Light. Bastion chuckled at Hassleberry's dismay.

"You seem shocked. By the effect of Holy Initiation, I am capable of sacrificing two Enlightened Monsters that make up half of the Level of a Light-Attribute Monster on your side of the field. … If I meet that requirement, I am able to seize control of your Tyranno until your next End Phase. The best part is… By sacrificing Enlightened Soldier of Zenolite, I inflict 500 Points of Damage to the two of you! … Terribly sorry!"

Syrus revealed one of his facedowns.

"Not so fast! By the effect of Barrel Behind the Door, I'm safe! … But you're not. See, Barrel Behind the Door reflects the Damage back to you! Tough break!"

Bastion chuckled as he took the damage.

Bastion: 100

Syrus: 100

Hassleberry: 3500

Bastion looked at Syrus, then he turned to Bastion.

"… And now to do some damage to you, Hassleberry. You've gone on long enough! Super Conductor Tyranno! Attack your former master!"

Hassleberry fell backwards while scooting away from the oncoming Monster that was formerly his. Syrus smirked as he revealed his second facedown.

"Don't worry, Sarge! I gotcha! Magical Cylinder will reverse the Battle Damage!"

Bastion wagged a finger as the dino continued its assault, not letting up. Magical Cylinder shattered.

"Not exactly. You see… Enlightened Monk was also sent to the Graveyard by Holy Initiation's effect. Thus, its effect kicks in now. It negates the activation of one Trap Card in the Battle Phase. … Sorry, but we're all nearly out of Life Points now."

Bastion: 100

Syrus: 100

Hassleberry: 200

Bastion set one card facedown.

Bastion's Hand: 0

Bastion laughed as he ended his turn.

"This is all turning out as Destiny foretold it would! We are reaching the climax! … No. The finale. We reached the climax a long ways back."

Hassleberry growled and drew his next card. He stared at his cards in frustration. Then he glared at Bastion, who was still in possession of Super Conductor Tyranno.

"… You're just pure evil. I ain't never gonna join your Society of Light Club! … Though there's nothing I can do to finish you off…

Hassleberry shot a glance at Syrus and smirked.

"… I leave the finishing off of Bastion in your hands, Soldier. You have the card to do it."

Syrus nodded as he drew his next card. Syrus turned Submarineroid to Attack Mode.

"Alright! Submarineroid's gonna bypass your Tyranno! It's OVER!"

Bastion chuckled.

"… Then go ahead and attack. I assure you: It WILL be over when you attack. For you, not for me."

Hassleberry pumped a fist in the air and shouted gleefully.

"Truesdale! This is our chance! We got the enemy to the point where he's BLUFFING just to survive the round! FINISH HIM OFF!"

Syrus nodded and engaged the attack. Bastion didn't budge as Submarineroid shot a torpedo at him. After the thick cloud of dust was cleared… Bastion's facedown was missing. Bastion was cackling maniacally.

"… Thank you! That move cost you the duel, gentlemen! I won't be taking the fall… but YOU will! AHAHAHA!"

Syrus and Hassleberry stared at their duel disks simultaneously and shrieked simultaneously.

Bastion: 100

Syrus: 0

Hassleberry: 0

Syrus was the first to collapse. Hassleberry was strong enough to remain standing and ask a very important question.

"B-But… How? Y-You…"

Bastion rolled his eyes and held up the single card he used to annihilate them.

"… It's called Light Reflection. As long as I remove five Enlightened Monsters from my Graveyard… I can cancel out the damage meant for me… and reflect back at you. … The both of you. Funny, isn't it? One more turn and you could have won. Syrus merely had to end his turn, and Super Conductor Tyranno would have returned to your side. … And due to the effect of Enlightened Sorcerer of Zenolite… I had no Draw Phase on my next turn. I would have been wide open… You would have had the chance to disarm my Light Reflection, and I would have been wide open… Fortunately, Destiny had my back and forced young Syrus to attack me, leaving me the victor. Sorry… but you were destined to lose from the start."

Hassleberry groaned and just collapsed from exhaustion. Jaden, Chazz, and Alexis ran up onto the Duel Arena as all the lights in the room came back on and members of the Society began to file out. Bastion stood there patiently and silently as they tried to wake Syrus and Hassleberry up, already presuming they had been 'Enlightened'.

"Hassleberry! Syrus! WAKE UP! Are you okay?"

Syrus was the first to get up and respond to Jaden's concern.

"… I'm fine… Jay…

Syrus stood up straight and almost saluted Bastion. He simply held out his hand to Bastion, though.

"… Thank you, Bastion! That was a nicely played Duel! I'm ready to join the Society of Light now! I wanna become strong and admired, just like my brother!"

Bastion chuckled and gave Syrus a firm handshake.

"… It would be my pleasure to accept you as an elite member of the Society of Light, Syrus. … Now what of Hassleberry?"

As if on cue, Hassleberry began to get up. He was slower than Syrus, though.

"That was some duel… Amazing tactics, Soldier…"

Alexis had a horrified expression on her face as all but Bastion and Syrus stared at Hassleberry getting up off the ground.

"Hassleberry! Not you too…"

Hassleberry smirked at everyone and stood up straight.

"Who… Me? Not on your life, son!"

Bastion took a step back, clearly flabbergasted.

"Wh-What? B-But… HOW?"

Hassleberry chuckled and rolled up his left pant leg, revealing a scar.

"See this here scar, fellas? I got this a few year backs while on a routine dig for dinosaur fossils. Almost immediately after I had found a fossil, a rock slide occurred and nearly broke my leg in two. The docs had to operate immediately, and they used a bone of the very dinosaur fossil that I had found… and the rest is history. Ever since that accident, I've had dino DNA. So I'm stronger physically and mentally than your average Joe."

Bastion shrugged like it was nothing, but it was abundantly clear he was ticked at Hassleberry's allegiance, especially after the duel he had went through to recruit him. He led Syrus away from his former friends, and Hassleberry just shook a fist at the two of them.

"… That's right! You run away! Try brainwashin' me again, and I'll make sure you come to your senses!

Hassleberry turned to his friends and sighed. He was frustrated.

"I'm sorry, guys… I thought with Private Truesdale as backup, we could knock some sense into that freak… But he turned the tables on us. … Oh well. Next time!"

Chazz rolled his eyes and stalked away.

"Yeah… Whatever. If anyone's powerful enough to take down Bastion… It's me! … But I'm not in the mood. Later!"

Jaden turned to Alexis and Hassleberry, smiling.

"Well… I'm just happy that YOU'RE okay, Hassleberry… If I lost you AND Syrus, I don't know what I'd do…"

Alexis placed a reassuring hand on Jaden's shoulder. She beamed at him.

"We'd rescue them both. That's what would happen, Jay. Don't worry, there's still time to duel and win back Syrus and Bastion. … For now we'd best keep our distance. We don't want to lose anyone else to the Society of Light… But it'd be foolish to attempt to free them now. We haven't studied Bastion's tactics enough. And Syrus is sure to get new cards as well. … When the time comes and we do need to duel them… Well, we'll do our best and beat them. It's all we can do. I'm not going to admit defeat to those Society goons anytime soon…"

Jaden nodded and smirked.

"Yeah… Let's get outta here."

Jaden, Alexis and Bastion walked out of the White Dorm together…

Meanwhile…

Aster had been attempting to phone Seth for over an hour now, and all he kept getting was a busy signal. … Meaning that Seth was NOT willing to talk to Aster. Aster hung up his phone angrily and groaned.

"Seth… Where ARE you? I want answers. And I want them NOW. What IS this 'Society of Light'…? Are you so obsessed with eliminating Jaden you've gone to this extreme to achieve that goal…?"

Richter chortled from a nearby opened doorway as he secretly watched Aster leave the White Dorm premises.

"You'll be finding out soon enough… And then it will be YOUR turn to see the Light!

Richter continued chortling and closed the door slowly.

"I HAVE… THE CHORTLES! HAHAHA!"

**Next Episode: Last Ditch Effort!**

**Enlightened Fool of Zenolite: (1100/800) 3-Stars, Spellcaster, Light-Attribute. Effect: Whenever 'Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light' is face-up on the field, this card gains 1000 Attack Points. By lowering this card's Attack points by 500, you can destroy one card on your Opponent's side of the field. **

** Enlightened Rebirth: Normal Trap Card. Effect: If your Life Points are below 2000, and Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of the Light is in your Graveyard, you may add it to the field. If there was a Field Spell present before activation of this card, your opponent(s) may draw one card. **

** Enlightened Knight of Zenolite: (2500/2200) 6-Stars, Warrior, Light-Attribute. Effect: If Zenolite, the Ancient Sanctuary of Light is not present on your side of the field, this Card is destroyed during your Opponent's next End Phase. This Card gains 300 Attack Points for each Spell Card played. **

** Enlightened Rejuvenation: Normal Spell Card. Effect: Discard your entire hand. For this turn only, an 'Enlightened' Monster may attack twice. **

** Enlightened Pagan of Zenolite: (1000/1000) 3-Stars, Warrior, Light-Attribute. Effect: Tribute this card to get back any cards that you discarded last turn. **

** Enlightened Backup: Normal Spell Card. Effect: Activate when you have no cards on your side of the field. Choose three Level Four 'Enlightened' Monsters from your deck, and your Opponent picks out one of the cards you have chosen. That card is sent to the Graveyard, while the other two are Summoned to the field.**

** Enlightened Soldier of Zenolite: (800/1000) 2-Stars, Warrior, Light-Attribute. Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard due to a Spell Card, inflict 500 Points of Damage to your Opponent(s).**

** Enlightened Monk of Zenolite: (700/600) 2-Stars, Warrior, Light-Attribute. Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard due to a Spell Card, negate the activation of one Trap Card in the Battle Phase of this turn.**

** Enlightened Sorcerer of Zenolite: (1700/700) 4-Stars, Spellcaster, Light-Attribute. Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard due to a Spell Card, add a Spell Card from your deck to your hand. If that card is not used by your next End Phase, Remove it from Play. If this effect is used, skip your next Draw Phase.**

** Holy Initiation: Normal Spell Card. Effect: Sacrifice two 'Enlightened' Monsters on your side of the field. If there is a Light-Attribute Monster on your opponent's side of the field with twice the Level of the two Monsters you sacrificed, seize control of the Monster until your opponent's next End Phase. **

** Light Reflection: Normal Trap Card. Effect: Remove five 'Enlightened' Monsters from your Graveyard. Negate the Battle Damage from one attack and reflect it back at your opponent(s). **


	5. Chapter 5

**Due to a friend's request, I am not waiting to make a double - or triple - update at once. I'll just update now, and hope to make a second update in the near future... Sorry this one took so long, fellas! I've been at my wit's end with this one. I didn't want to rush it, and what was meant to be a week's worth of writing turned into nearly a month's worth. I channeled all my writing that didn't go into this into future Chapters. Let me tell ya, inspiration has been hitting like crazy, I think you'll like what's coming up. Now…** **It should be known that, unless you desperately want it, the 'Dueling Advisor' position is filled. If someone else, or a group of people, wanted the position, I could organize a 'Dueling Advice Committee', though that would be silly, in my opinion. And just for future reference… I do not own 'Welcome to the Future'. If you want the link for it… Go to my Profile. I could not find any lyrics for the song anywhere… so I put down what I heard. You may hear it accurately, so just listen to the real song and correct me in a Review… Some of the lyrics I used ARE modified just for this Story, though… Anyway… Off we go.**

The Society of Light, now encompassing all of Ra Yellow, save for Hassleberry, and most of Obelisk Blue, met in the exuberant halls the White Dorm for the first time as a united group. They all began to file into the Duel Arena, where there was to be a speech given by Master Seth Phoenix, who was unable to make the event in person as it turned out.

While everyone was busy sitting down and conversing, Bastion was taking this time to contemplate everything that had happened over the past few days… He was almost certain that he would have to report on all that had happened thus far. After all, he hadn't been reporting in regularly, like he should have. Instead, he was inadvertently letting that power go to his head, and was making everyone treat him like he was King, and not Master Seth.

_… This is insubordination at its worst… The Master will not be pleased…_

Bastion was sitting on the large throne overlooking the Duel Arena in the White Dorm; his hands were clutching the armrests tightly, his knuckles turning white in fear of the meeting that was about to commence. Bastion rarely found himself scared as of late, but Master Seth was a man to truly fear, at least in his eyes.

Crowler and Bonaparte were on either side of him. Crowler on his right, Bonaparte on his left. Bonaparte leaned over and whispered in Bastion's ear.

"Been a while since you last filed a report to Master Seth, isn't it? If you're nervous about your acting as the head of the White Dorm… I'm sure he won't mind. You know as well as I do that the Master can be quite generous…"

Crowler shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Yes… But we must all know our place. And Bastion's been overstepping his rank…"

Bastion cringed at the remark. No matter how much he wanted to deny it… He couldn't. He had let all the fame and glory go to his head.

"…"

Bastion didn't say a word as the screen was lowered from the ceiling and was turned on automatically. On display was Seth Phoenix, the top of his head down to his torso was visible. He was wearing his typical Obelisk-like white blazer. And his black hair stood straight up, as usual. Behind him was a white wall, and the room he was currently in was flooded in light.

Seth gave a benevolent smile and proceeded with his 'speech'.

"Greetings, fellow pupils of Destiny… How goes the War against the unenlightened? I trust you've all been keeping well? As you all know, I hardly need ask these questions, as I have already witnessed for myself what has been going on through glimpses of the future… So, you may be asking: Why the sudden meeting? Why not skip the formalities? Well, to be honest… This isn't exactly a 'meeting'. I have but one announcement, and then you may go about your day. I shall be with you all in one week, as a student at Duel Academy. After all, when you get right down to it, we are all pupils before the eyes of Destiny. … After I have arrived, I will debrief you all on what is to happen next…"

Bastion stood up straight and tried to get his Master's attention. He could not hide the guilt anymore.

"Master! Please forgive me! I… I've been acting as the leader in your stead! Forgive me…!"

Seth only smiled at Bastion's outburst. He continued on like no one had interrupted him.

"… I believe that is all… Good day.

The screen faded, but came back on immediately. No eyes ever left the screen.

"… One more thing. Richter is on the way with the chopper as we speak. All preparations for the duel are complete … All will be made clear in a matter of hours. Again… Good day."

The screen faded again, and the monitor was pulled into the ceiling. Society members began to murmur among themselves and file out. Crowler left Bastion, needing to attend to some Chancellor duties. Bonaparte stuck around with Bastion.

Bastion fell to his knees, his gaze fixated on the floor.

"Why…? Why didn't the Master chastise me? He had every right to…! Instead… He… He ignored me…"

Bonaparte rolled his eyes and put his arms behind his back and smiled.

"Well, at least now you don't have to worry about telling him anymore! You let it all out!"

Bastion sighed and didn't move from his place on the floor.

"… No. I'm convinced that I will be punished… He's simply letting me enjoy the glory while I still can…

Bastion finally stood up after a few minutes. He turned to stare at Bonaparte.

"Now… You wanted to speak to me about something? There are still unenlightened duelists on this island, you know…"

Bonaparte nodded. He closed his eyes, turned his gaze to the floor and tapped his feet together nervously.

"Y-Yeah… Listen… Duel Academy is known for only possessing three Dorms. You know… Obelisk, Ra, and Slifer. But now… with this new White Dorm… that changes things. A Dorm, that is, the ENTIRE student body of that Dorm, must be entirely converted to another Dorm before a new Dorm can be established. Those ARE the regulations…"

Bastion crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised an eyebrow.

"… Just what are you trying to say, Bonaparte…? That just because Hassleberry wasn't converted, that there is still a Ra Dorm because of him…?"

Bonaparte nodded meekly and began twiddling his thumbs.

"Yeah… And because Hassleberry doesn't seem to be Society of Light-material… I was thinking… C-Can we eliminate the Slifer Red Dorm…?"

Bastion's eyes widened at Bonaparte's suggestion. He hadn't seen this coming.

"Are you… still obsessed with tearing down a Dormitory…? I thought we got rid of that defect when you were converted…"

Bonaparte nodded meekly. Again.

"I-I did, too… But apparently, that's all I've been able to think about lately! Please…! Gimme one more chance at tearing that hunk-a-junk down…!"

Bastion rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Alright… One more chance… Now… We just need Duelists that are capable for this task… Even with your powered up deck, I still doubt you'd fare well against Jaden, Bonaparte… Hmm…"

Bastion assumed a 'deep-in-thought' pose, while Bonaparte just blinked and stared at Bastion, making sure he was serious.

"Uh… Didn't Master Seth say 'preparations are complete'…? I assume he means the duel to take down the Slifer Red Dorm, but…"

Bastion's eyes opened wide again and he nodded.

"… Yes, I do believe you're right. I suppose our ride, Richter, will be here soon… Let's not keep him waiting…"

Bonaparte nodded and excitedly exclaimed.

"Trés magnifique!"

Bastion and Bonaparte walked out of the Duel Arena and out of the White Dorm…

Chazz opened the door to the Slifer Cafeteria to find a peculiar sight. Jaden was holding something in one hand, while signing a form with the other hand. He walked over and peered over his shoulder. … Which only made Jaden jump. Which then caused Chazz to fall backwards and hit his head on the table behind him.

Jaden turned around, sheepishly grinned, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry, Chazz… Didn't hear ya come in…"

Chazz growled and picked himself from off the floor.

"… Whatever. Dork. What were you signing anyway?"

Jaden laughed and rubbed the back of his head more vigorously.

"Ehe… Umm… I guess the cat's out of the bag. Four tickets to some theme park arrived today… and… to seal the deal, I just had to sign on the dotted line… So… Yeah. Here's your ticket, Chazz. I was hopin' to surprise everyone, but…"

That's when Hassleberry came trudging into the Cafeteria. It was nearly lunchtime.

"What's up? What's this about a surprise? I want in on it, Sarge!"

Jaden laughed again and handed Hassleberry his ticket.

"Well… The secret's out already… Here ya go. We're goin' to a theme park later today."

Hassleberry raised an eyebrow and eyed his ticket.

"A theme park…? What'd ya do to earn the tickets, Sarge…?"

Jaden blinked and his arm fell from the neck of his head to his side.

"Mmm… Nothing. They just sorta… arrived. So… I just gotta send this electronic signature, and it'll be official."

Jaden gave a cheesy grin as he pushed the send button on his PDA. Chazz looked horrified, and Hassleberry just rolled his eyes. Chazz shook his head wildly and raised a fist at Jaden's face.

"… Tell me you read the fine print! I wanna know EXACTLY what these tickets get me…"

Hassleberry nodded in affirmation. Jaden sweated and rubbed his nose nervously.

"Uh… Sorry! Reading's not my style, bro!"

Chazz tackled Jaden and began beating his head against the floor continuously. Jaden struggled to push Chazz off, but to no avail. That's when Alexis walked in. She didn't take notice of the scene immediately.

"Uh… Guys? There's a chopper right outside… Somebody here to see Chazz? … Or Jaden? … And Chazz, would you get off of Jaden?"

Chazz snatched the fourth ticket from Jaden and handed it to Alexis with big hearts in his eyes.

"A-Alexis! Today we're going to a theme park! Won't you come ride through the Tunnel of Love with me…?"

Alexis gingerly took the ticket from Chazz's hands, careful not to touch Chazz. Then she gave him a good slap. Chazz landed on the floor with stars in his eyes.

"Uh… Thanks for the invite, Chazz. … But I'll have to decline your 'tempting' offer of your ride of choice… I'll come to the theme park, though… If that's okay. Who got the tickets anyway?"

Chazz stood up abruptly and folded his hands together.

"It was me! I got the tickets! Just for the two of us!"

Hassleberry shook his head and extended a hand to Jaden, who finally stood up.

"Actually… It was the Sarge who received the tickets. He had to sign something… But he sent the digital contract before any of us could read the fine print. … Not a smart move, in my opinion. Seeing as how there's a chopper ready to take us… I'm willing to bet it'll take us somewhere far, far away and leave us stranded…"  
>Chazz drooled and the stars in his eyes got even brighter.<p>

"S-Stranded on a deserted island with Alexis…? I'll go! I'll go!"

Alexis slapped him again, and Chazz fell to the floor… Again. Alexis frowned and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Well… I might not like going on a trip without knowing what I'm getting myself into, either… But hey. If we run into any danger, we can take care of ourselves. … Except for Chazz, maybe."

Jaden pumped a fist into the air and grinned.

"Well, let's go…! 'The World of the Future' was one of my favorite amusement parks when I was just a kid! I'm sure you guys'll like it, too!"

Again, Chazz got up abruptly. This time he shot daggers at Jaden with an ice-cold glare.

"I thought you said you didn't check the fine print…!"

Jaden laughed and shook his head.

"I read, like, the intro… Then I stopped and just signed! It was boring, legal stuff anyway… Besides, the tickets themselves declare they're tickets to 'The World of the Future'!"

Jaden ran out of the Cafeteria followed by Alexis and Hassleberry. Chazz was the last to follow, and he was grumbling…

Jaden and co. didn't expect Syrus, Bastion, and Bonaparte to be going to the amusement park. But what they expected even less was the fact that the amusement park was just on the other side of Academy Island.

"Who builds a park in the middle of scenic nowhere…?"

Chazz asked, irritated. Hassleberry looked on, impressed. Alexis seemed surprised, but at least she attempted to keep her emotions in check. Jaden… was like a little kid at a toy store. He had his face plastered to the window of the copter and his eyes were sparkling.

"This is JUST like the park I went to when I was just a kid…! Like… down to the last itty-bitty detail! And they built the park practically right behind Duel Academy! SWEEEET!"

Bastion, Syrus, and Bonaparte had nothing to add… they were just as surprised as Jaden, Alexis, Hassleberry, and Chazz, but they didn't want to show their surprised faces to their former friends.

The chopper eventually made a landing at the entrance. The minute everyone exited the copter, music filled the air…

_"Welcome to the Future! The Future… starts… TODAY! Aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaah! Onwards, up to the Future… A Dream, a Shining Light! The Future is always in sight! To get there…We'll just follow in the Liiight! With heart and hope to light the way! We welcome every friend you bring! Welcome to the Future! The Future starts TODAY! Welcome to the Future! The Future… starts… TODAAAY! Aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaah!"_

The singing seemed to emanate from giant golden robots. The robots seemed to make motions while their mouths moved up and down – the motions were mostly extended arms lifting up to the sky – and toy planes were flying everywhere, with no controller – or controllers – in sight. The first ride that was visible was a rollercoaster that seemed to stretch over the entirety of the theme park… and it seemed like the ONLY ride at first glimpse. Along the rollercoaster's path were mock-ups of what appeared to be a city. A Future City.

The rollercoaster pulled up to the entrance and the Society members got in the back. Hassleberry got in first followed by Alexis who sat behind him. Jaden was about to sit with Alexis, but was pushed into Hassleberry's car by Chazz, who immediately swiped the seat and scooted closer to Alexis, who attempted to scoot as far away from Chazz as possible.

The ride locked them into their seats and proceeded to go along the track. Along the way were more gigantic golden robots singing the same tune and more toy airplanes flying overhead.

Jaden grinned. He could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

"This is SOOO SWEET! I'm telling ya, it's like they cloned the park from my childhood! I haven't seen 'The World of the Future' up and running in, like, forever… SOOO COOL!"

Hassleberry rolled his eyes, Alexis gazed around the park admiringly, and Chazz… put an arm around Alexis. That got him a slap.

"DON'T touch me, Princeton. Do you need a few ground rules laid down for you, or will you behave yourself…?"

Chazz retracted his arm and whimpered. He didn't reply at all. Hassleberry pointed at a structure in the distance.

"Could that be our destination, Sarge?"

Jaden shook his head as his smile broadened.

"Nope! That's the House of the Future! This rollercoaster will go along a track inside of it! Sure, this might not be the most amazing ride in the world, at least to you guys… But to me, who hasn't ridden this thing in ages… THIS IS JUST THE COOOOLEST!"

Hassleberry smirked at Jaden's outburst; Chazz looked to the side and off into the distance ignoring Jaden. Alexis just looked ahead. In the back cars, Bonaparte and Bastion looked around bewilderedly, and Syrus kept staring at Jaden and Hassleberry in the front car.

As Jaden had predicted, the rollercoaster passed through the House of the Future. Inside were smaller-scale robots: A father-bot watch TV, a dog-bot yipping, and a mother-bot slicing meatloaf. The music from outside permeated the little 'home'.

Once they were all through the House of the Future, the rollercoaster headed down a long hill and came to a stop soon thereafter, just as Jaden remembered it. Everyone got off the rollercoaster and found themselves in what appeared to be the center of the amusement park. More attractions were now visible, and Jaden did not cease marveling at the park of his childhood. There was just one teeny-tiny difference that Jaden picked up on. A Dueling Arena. Jaden knew that a Dueling Ring wasn't apart of the original World of the Future. And yet there it was.

While everyone else marveled at all the new sights, Jaden found himself moving towards the Dueling Arena. At first glance, the Arena seemed more like some weird batting cage. But Jaden saw through its 'disguise', and he wanted to check it out. The Dueling Arena was surrounded by a chain-link fence, as was top. The only apparent way to get inside it, though, was two doors. And both doors seemed locked when Jaden tried to open them. That's when Jaden noticed the mechanism wired to the door handle. It was a reader of some sort.

No one was in the Dueling Arena for now, so Jaden had to give up his 'investigation' for now. When Jaden turned around and was about to walk to another part of the park, he was face to face with Richter. Richter had his body covered in his cape, and he was giving Jaden a teeth-y smile.

"You are wanting into your demise so soon…? Richter is admiring your bravery… But it is not being show time yet. Soon. But not yet."

Jaden raised an eyebrow and tried looking Richter in the eye. A hard feat, what with Richter's swirly glasses.

"Huh…? What do you mean…? This is just a normal trip to a theme park, isn't it…?"

Richter burst out laughing. He snorted and retorted.

"I HAVE CHORTLES! Again, Richter is admiring you… But this time, Richter is admiring your naivete. Certainly foolish Jaden read fine print of binding contract before signing…?"

Jaden laughed meekly and began to sweat.

"Uh… Not really…"  
>That's when Chazz walked up to the pair of them. He hoisted Richter up and made Richter look directly at his eyes.<p>

"Hey! Just what did you make Jaden sign, anyway…? Sure, this place is nice, I guess… But when I see a Dueling Arena and you laughing maniacally… That's where I draw the line! NOW TALK!"

Richter chortled and didn't struggle at all.

"You are to be finding out soon! You are being instrumental to the Red Dorm's demolition as well! A duel is to be taking place, but there is a lot more at stake than a mere Dormitory! You be finding that out very soon! I HAVE CHORTLES!"

Chazz shook him hard and glared at the stubby man.

"WHAAAT?"

Richter straightened his glasses and pointed at two people coming up behind Chazz.

"Here is being the instruments of your destruction, gentlemen! The time has come!"

A smooth voice sounded a few feet behind Chazz. The man chuckled.

"Ah, Richter! It's been AGES! I take it that these… youths… are our competition…?"

Chazz dropped Richter on his back and turned around. Jaden had already been staring at the new arrivals. One was dressed in White, like he belonged to the Society of Light, and the other was dressed in a suit. The one in White looked lively while the one in the suit looked deathly pale and… not full of life.

Chazz growled and raised a fist at the two of them.

"I don't care who you are… No one messes with the Slifer Reds as long as Chazz Princeton remains in Slifer Red! Leave Jaden out of this! I can take both of you down in no time at all!"

The man in the suit chuckled again and shook his head.

"Perhaps you didn't read the fine print… But thanks to Jaden Yuki, Mr. Princeton… The both of you are to form a Tag Team and duel the two of us. Seth tires of your resistance, and he wants the both of you eliminated… So, he sent the two of us to do the job that Aster couldn't. The minute Mr. Yuki signed that contract… It was check and mate. You have no case, Mr. Princeton."

Jaden's hands clenched into fists and he looked determinedly at the man in the suit.

"… Alright! Fine! I'll duel you! So will Chazz! Get your game on!"

The man in the suit motioned to the man in White.

"… Lorenzo, would you be so kind as to open the doors? It seems that we have gone through the formalities and are ready to duel."

Lorenzo smirked and held up a ticket to the theme park.

"A'ight! See this, J-man? This ticket's your key to getting into the Arena! And it's your ticket out! Both you and C-man gotta swipe your tickets for the ticket reader, or you won't be registered in the duel. And if you're not registered… You don't duel. As Three Time Video Game Champ, I helped design this place… So take it from me… You WANT to be registered for this duel. You don't want your friend duelin' me an' X all alone, would ya?"

Chazz glowered at Lorenzo, and Jaden rolled his eyes.

"Alright! Let's just get our game on!"

Lorenzo shrugged and displayed his ticket for the ticket reader on door on the right.

"Then lets get movin', paisans! Some of us got other stuff goin' on later on!"

X displayed his ticket for the card reader for the door on the right, and he walked into the Arena after Lorenzo. Chazz was the first to enter the door on the left, and Jaden was the last, naturally.

Chazz turned to Jaden and shot him a glare.

"I could've taken them without you… But I guess with your help, it'll be over just as quickly."

Jaden rolled his eyes and turned to X, who was directly across from him. All duelists were ready. The Arena turned on and emitted a light blue light. The doors closed and locked automatically… and chains, from out of nowhere, clamped to one ankle of each duelist.

X chuckled at everyone's shock, including Lorenzo's.

"Ah… One more stipulation. The winners will have five minutes to escape the theme park before it explodes. The losers… well… They won't be so lucky. So… If you want to win so badly, Mr. Princeton… Be my guest. But be aware… that there are human lives at stake."

Lorenzo was sweating over in his corner. He shot a glare at X.

"'Eyyy… What's the deal, huh? No one told me this was life or death!"

X chuckled and activated his duel disk.

"Well… Someone must have forgotten to inform you. Sorry. But Seth is not taking anymore chances… Either Jaden Yuki is eliminated… Or he survives, knowing that he killed somebody. Simply put: Seth has put an ample amount of trust in us, and we must risk our very lives to ensure his trust is not misplaced. You do realize there's no way we can lose anyway, right? We're professionals that have never lost, Lorenzo! And these two… are just children."

Chazz glared at X and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Lorenzo looked to Chazz who was straight across from him and smirked. X had a point there. Lorenzo activated his duel disk.

Chazz continued glaring at X while Jaden activated his duel disk. He wasn't ready to duel just yet.

"Just so there aren't any surprises, X… Tell me… What are the rules in this Tag Duel?"

X chuckled again and smirked at Chazz.

"Ah, finally… a wise move. Getting to know the rules before the game is played. To start out… Our Life Points are combined on both sides, making 8000. The first duelist to activate his duel disk goes first; the second duelist to activate his duel disk goes second, the third goes third, and so on. No one may attack on their first turn. Once everyone has gone at least once, it's all clear. As you know, the team to reach 0 first loses… and that's about it. Oh, and the key to your shackles? They are made available to you only after the other team's Life Points have hit 0. Of course, while a player that runs out of cards to use would normally signify victory for the opposing team… You both have to run out of cards before you officially lose. Essentially: It's a team effort. It will be harder to duel without help from your partner… But if one member of the team can continue dueling, why stop? It will be all the more satisfactory for the opposing team when the both of you lose. Lastly, no one can attack an open player if that open player's teammate has at least one Monster out.

X inserted his deck into his duel disk after shuffling it.

"Now… Shall we get started, gentlemen…?"

Hassleberry, Alexis, Syrus, Bastion, Bonaparte, and Richter walked over to the Duel Arena moments before everyone drew their first cards. They weren't allowed into the Duel Arena, but they were allowed to watch. Richter had filled them all in on the stakes. After he escorted them all to the Duel Arena, he left, stating that he had business to attend to.

After being told what was going on, various reactions abounded. Bonaparte was ecstatic that such a duel was taking place. Hassleberry and Alexis were concerned for Jaden and Chazz, but were explicitly told not to interfere in the duel, or they would be punished. Syrus was concerned for Jaden, but wouldn't show it, instead choosing to watch silently. And Bastion… was beside himself. He was horrified at the 'bonus' stakes, the life or death stakes. He wanted to take out Jaden, but not this badly. He was the first to try to stop this duel, but was chastised by Richter for attempting to do so. Unfortunately for Bastion, he was the unlucky person whom Master Seth would watch the duel through. Bastion still had complete control of his body, but he could tell Master Seth was watching through his eyes. He could tell because of the extra voice in his head, commentating.

_And so it begins… Setting up this death trap took a year's worth of time, but it was very worth it. Now Jaden shall PAY for crossing the Society of Light… _

Bastion didn't attempt to converse with his Master, in part because he was afraid Master Seth would possess his body if he said the wrong thing. All he could do, or so he felt, was that he could only watch the duel unfold…

Jaden and Chazz: 8000

X and Lorenzo: 8000

Jaden's Deck: 35

Jaden's Hand: 5

Chazz's Deck: 35

Chazz's Hand: 5

X's Deck: 35

X's Hand: 5

Lorenzo's Deck: 35

Lorenzo's Hand: 5

X smirked and drew his sixth card.

"Now, let's proceed! Hmm… Time to clear the Courtroom! I play Card Destruction! Now we all ditch the cards in our hands and pick up the same number of cards that we lost!

Jaden's Deck: 30

Chazz's Deck: 30

Lorenzo's Deck: 30

X's Deck: 29

X chuckled and set a card facedown. Then he summoned a Monster.

"Finally, I summon Kuriboh in Attack Mode!

(300/200)

X's Hand: 3

X's Deck: 29

"Your move, Lorenzo!"

Hassleberry raised an eyebrow as X's turn came to a close.

"He just gonna leave that wimpy thing in Attack Mode…? He must have some sorta plan…"

Alexis nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… I just hope Jaden doesn't cost the team by walking into X's trap…"

Lorenzo smirked and drew his next card.

"A'ight! Here we go! First… I'll summon B.E.S. Big Core MK-2! Get over here, will ya!

(2400/1100)

"And then… I'll toss a couple of these facedown! You're up, pal!"

Lorenzo's Hand: 3

Lorenzo's Deck: 29

Bonaparte looked especially pleased with Lorenzo's move.

"With that move, Lorenzo's all but ensured the Slifer Dorm's destruction! Hahaha!"

Jaden, like Lorenzo before him, smirked and drew his card.

"Alright! Time to bring my A-Game! I summon… Elemental Hero Sparkman!

(1600/1400)

"Then I'll toss one card facedown… and take a little break."

Jaden's Hand: 4

Jaden's Deck: 29

Chazz rolled his eyes and drew his next card quickly.

"… Alright! Time to Chazz you up! I'll summon V-Tiger Jet in Attack Mode!

(1600/1800)

"And then… I'll activate the Magic of Frontline Base! This beauty of a card lets me play this! W-Wing Catapult!

(1300/1500)

Chazz pointed a finger upwards.

"And when they're on the field together, they combine! So come on out… VW-Tiger Catapult!

(2000/2100)

"Then I'll toss one card facedown and give you dorks a shot…"

Chazz's Hand: 2

Chazz's Deck: 29

Hassleberry sighed as the first 'round' came to a close.

"I guess that's all they can do for now, since they can't attack… Still, it makes me wonder what those two are cookin' up…"

Hassleberry was indicating X and Lorenzo when he said that. Alexis could only nod as X's turn started.

"Well… These ARE Pros that they're dueling… Lorenzo is, anyway. And X is Seth Phoenix's attorney. That can't be any good for Jay and Chazz…"

X picked up his next card and set it facedown.

"That's all I care to do for now… Lorenzo, why don't you do something?"

X's Hand: 3

X's Deck: 28

Lorenzo rolled his eyes at X and picked up his next card.

"… Nope. There's nothin' I can do. Your turn, J-Man…"

Lorenzo's Hand: 4

Lorenzo's Deck: 28

Jaden scratched his head as he drew again.

"Umm… Why didn't you attack? Big Core coulda taken out any of our monsters!"

Lorenzo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Look, I got my reasons, capiche? Just go!"

Hassleberry yelled over to Bastion as Jaden's turn started.

"Hey, Brainiac! Why didn't Lorenzo attack?"

Bastion rolled his eyes, but kept them glued to the duel for Master Seth's sake.

"… It would be destroyed the second it destroyed either one of their Monsters, Hassleberry! B.E.S. Monsters require shields in order to survive more than one Attack!"

Hassleberry's eyes widened as he turned his attention back to the duel.

"Ohhh!"

Jaden shrugged and activated a card.

"Alright, but it'll cost ya! I play Spark Blaster! With this, I can change the position of your Big Core so that it's in Defense Mode! And if that weren't enough… I activate-"

X held up a hand.

"Hold that thought, kid! Before you get too far, I activate Monster Register! Now each time a Monster is summoned, all players must send cards to the graveyard equal to the Level(s) of the Summoned Monster(s). All I have to do is give up a thousand points to make it happen."

X and Lorenzo: 7000

Jaden and Chazz: 8000

Alexis slightly cringed as she watched Jaden stare at X's latest card dumbstruck.

"Ooh… Ouch. With that maneuver, Jaden can't summon too powerful creatures if he wants to keep his deck intact…"

Jaden cringed and eyed the cards in his hand. Sure, it would be a risky move, but he needed to get a tough monster out.

"I activate Polymerization! Which lets me fuse Avian and Burstinatrix in order to create the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

(2100/1200)

X smirked and sighed contentedly.

"Ah, Level Six! We all lose custody of six random cards from our decks!"

Jaden's Deck: 22

Chazz's Deck: 23

X's Deck: 22

Lorenzo's Deck: 22

Hassleberry pumped his fist into the air.

"Yeehaw! That's how we do it! Open a can of Flame Wingman, Sarge!"

Jaden nodded and proceeded with his move.

"… Alright! Time to do some Damage! Flame Wingman! Go after Big Core! Sparkman, Kuriboh's all yours!

X and Lorenzo: 5700

Jaden and Chazz: 8000

Jaden pointed at Lorenzo.

"And because Flame Wingman toasted your Big Core, you lose Life Points equal to your Monster's Attack Points! Tough break!"

X and Lorenzo: 3300

Jaden and Chazz: 8000

Bonaparte gritted his teeth after the attacks were finished.

"Grrr! How the heck did the score change so dramatically…?

Bonaparte slammed his fists on the bars that guarded the Arena.

"COME ON! What are we paying you for? Defeat these slackers so we can bid the Reds au revoire!"

Lorenzo smirked and revealed a facedown.

"Nah, not really J-Man! You triggered this trap card called Alert! Now I can activate my second facedown, Boss Rush! Now whenever Big Core or one of my machines gets mashed up real good, I can bring out another one when you end your turn! Heh!"

X chuckled and revealed his second facedown.

"And I'm afraid that's just the beginning of the torment, Mr. Yuki! You triggered my deadly trap as well! Deck Destruction Virus! Since you destroyed Kuriboh, a Dark-Attribute Fiend with less than 500 Attack Points, I can unleash this card and send ten cards straight from your deck to the card graveyard! Face it, kid… With no cards to play, you can't win!"

Bastion gripped the bars and looked positively beside himself.

"Not good… Jaden's nearly out of cards… COME ON, JADEN…!"

Jaden's Deck: 12

Jaden grinned and played another card from his hand.

"Well… That's true… But it's about time I destroyed those deck-destroying cards before anymore damage is done! Go R-Righteous Justice! Since I have two Elemental Heroes out, I can destroy two of your Spell or Trap Cards! And I choose… Monster Register and Deck Destruction Virus! Bet ya didn't see that coming!"

Chazz rolled his eyes and continued staring at Lorenzo and his field.

_Yeah, but as long as Boss Rush is active, we're not going to be able to attack them directly and end the match. All we did was put X's plans on hold for now… Well, I guess I better keep Jaden in this…_

"And now I step in! Go, Avenged Loss! Since Jaden's deck lost some cards due to a trap this turn, this card makes it so those cards go back to his deck! At the cost of 500 Life Points."

Jaden and Chazz: 7500

X and Lorenzo: 3300

Jaden's Deck: 22

Chazz's Deck: 23

X's Deck: 22

Lorenzo's Deck: 22

Alexis, Hassleberry, and Bastion all heaved sighs of relief. Bonaparte was enraged, and Syrus just continued watching silently. Deep inside, Syrus was relieved as well, but he didn't want to show it, lest Bastion or Bonaparte kicked him out of the Society.

Jaden wiped sweat from his brow and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Phew! Thanks for the save, Chazz! But… How'd ya know to include a card like that in your deck for this duel?"

Chazz shrugged and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I didn't. I just have that card stashed in my deck in case some amateur decides to focus on deck destruction rather than my Life Points. Of course, I don't have too many of those kinds of cards left… So we might be in trouble if we don't beat 'em quick."

Jaden grinned nervously and set his last card facedown.

"Oookay… I'm just gonna end my turn now."

Jaden's Hand: 0

Jaden's Deck: 22

Lorenzo motioned to Boss Rush with his thumb.

"You forget about my Spell Card, J-man? Now that your turn's ended, I get another machine comin' to me! I think I'll go with… another B.E.S. Big Core MK-2! Heh!

(2400/1100)

"And since I Special Summoned Big Core, he gets three new shields to make him invincible! I'm golden!"

Chazz drew his next card vehemently.

"I dunno about that…"

Jaden stopped Chazz before he progressed with his move.

"Wait, Chazz…!"

Chazz glared at Jaden. He didn't want to halt his onslaught that he had planned.

"What now, dork?"

Jaden had a pleading look in his eyes as he continued.

"If you finish them off here and now, you won't be any better than they are! Sure, our lives are on the line, but so are theirs! We gotta find a way so that everyone can make it outta here alive!"

Alexis and Hassleberry nodded simultaneously. Hassleberry was the first to speak up.

"… He's right. No man gets left behind!"

Alexis looked down dejectedly and sighed.

"But how are they supposed to make sure that everyone gets out of there alive…? It's gonna take a miracle…"

Bastion gripped the bars even tighter. Seth and Bonaparte were obviously enjoying the show, but Bastion wasn't. And neither was Syrus. But Bastion and Syrus both stayed silent this time around.

Chazz rolled his eyes and looked down at the cards in his hand. He was already reformulating a new plan in his head already.

"… O-Of course… Don't you know? Th-The Chazz always has a plan!

_Great… It's bad enough that our lives are on the line… Now Jaden has to remind me that their lives are, too? Keeping ourselves fortified is one thing, but to try and come up with an impossible plan to save us all is another… Wait! Winning or losing leaves one side dead… But… if we Draw…_

"A-Anyway! I… activate… Graceful Charity! So I draw three and discard two! Then… Due to the effect of Ojamagic, which I just discarded, I can add the Ojama trio to my hand. Next, I scrap the three stooges to activate Ojama Ride! So c'mon out, X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank!

(1800/1500, 1500/1600, 1500/1300)

"X, Y, and Z combine to create the XYZ Dragon Cannon! But why stop there? Two monsters can be better than one, but I say… No! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon! C'mon out!

(3000/2800)

"Now… Well… I guess I'll just put your Boss Rush out of commission! Remove Big Core from play, VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon! And finally… Attack them directly!

X and Lorenzo: 300

Jaden and Chazz: 7500

Chazz set the remaining two cards in his hand facedown.

"… I guess that's all for now. I've got nothing else that I can do… for now."

Chazz's Hand: 0

Chazz's Deck: 13

Alexis looked at Chazz and Jaden's fortified field. They were safe for now, but for how long?

"Chazz sure did a number on their Life Points… But that isn't going to save EVERYONE…"

Hassleberry nervously nodded.

"Y-Yeah… I'm sure the Sarge has a plan!"

Bonaparte blew another gasket and pounded on the bars with his fists again.

"ARE YOU TRYIN' TO LOSE? BEAT! THESE! SLACKERS!"

Lorenzo twitched and turned to X.

"X…! These paisans are beatin' us big time! Now that Boss Rush is outta commission, we got no defense! Well… I don't! You betta have somethin' that'll get us outta this mess that you got us into!"

X only laughed at Lorenzo's desperation.

"Of COURSE I have a plan, Lorenzo! I WANTED Mr. Yuki and Mr. Princeton to overpower us just like this! And now that they fell for it… It's time to move in for the checkmate! My move!

X's Hand: 4

X's Deck: 21

"Now… I set this Monster in facedown Defense… Activate Nightmare Steelcage… And that's all for now."

Lorenzo's eyes widened.

"You're stalling! You said you had a plan!"

X nodded.

"I do. Now make your move, Lorenzo, so that we can move things along."

Lorenzo sighed and did nothing.

"… I pass. I can't do a thing as long as Boss Rush is out there…"

Lorenzo's Hand: 5

Lorenzo's Deck: 20

Jaden drew and set his card facedown.

"Well… I can't do much else, either. Your turn, Chazz."

Jaden's Hand: 0

Jaden's Deck: 21

Chazz drew his next card angrily.

"… I pass as well."

Chazz's Hand: 1

Chazz's Deck: 12

Hassleberry looked at X's facedown Monster expectantly.

"Well, one turn's passed… Are we gonna find out what that thing is…?"

X laughed and drew his next card gleefully.

"Well, gentlemen! I think it's time to clear the courtroom once again! This time, I'm clearing the field! I flip Morphing Jar #3! Now… All Monsters return to our Decks.

Everyone but Lorenzo began shuffling their Decks.

"Now, count up the Levels of the Monsters on your own fields. That's how many cards you draw. For instance, My Morphing Jar is Level Three, so I draw three cards. Mr. Yuki, your Level Stars totaled Ten. So you draw ten cards. And Mr. Princeton… You draw eight cards, because your Cannon was eight stars. One last stipulation: If there is at least one Monster among all the new cards you picked up, you may keep the newly drawn cards. If not… They are all sent to the Graveyard."

Jaden nervously drew his ten cards after shuffling his Deck well.

"… Sparkman. I'm cool!"

Jaden's Hand: 10

Jaden's Deck: 12

Jaden sighed, relieved. Chazz drew eight cards and smirked at spying at least one monster.

"… I'm good, too!"

Chazz's Hand: 9

Chazz's Deck: 4

X shrugged and held his cards proudly.

"… It seems we all have new cards now. Well, everyone but Lorenzo, of course. I end my turn with another facedown Defense Position Monster… and three facedowns. Your move, Lorenzo."

X's Hand: 4

X's Deck: 18

All the spectators, save Bonaparte, cringed. Even Syrus. Jaden and Chazz were walking the tightrope now, in terms of the number of cards in their decks, that is. No one said a word as the match went on.

Lorenzo drew again bitterly. He wasn't happy that he was unable to tear the amateurs apart.

"I… Uh… Grr…"

Hassleberry enjoyed watching Lorenzo squirm. The show of arrogance that he had displayed earlier made Hassleberry mad, and now Lorenzo was not doing so well.

"Serves him right! No one trash-talks the Sarge and gets away with it! With Boss Rush out, Lorenzo can't bring out anything!"

Jaden laughed and activated his facedown.

"But I can! Go, Hero Call! This card lets me pick a Monster and put him on the top of my deck! The one Monster that I need right now!"

Lorenzo shot Jaden a glare and held up the card he just drew.

"… Oh no ya don't! I activate Re-Select! Now I get to shuffle your Deck! … As soon as I figure out how to get over there…

Jaden's deck materialized in Lorenzo's hands. Lorenzo gleefully grinned and showed off his shuffling skills proudly, even though he was only shuffling twelve cards.

"Ah! That's betta! How do ya like this? Bada Bing! I'll shuffle these bad boys real good! Bet you've never seen moves like dat!"

Lorenzo continued to shuffle arrogantly, and Jaden just looked on, amazed at Lorenzo.

"You should chill! … Or cut down on those cappuccinos…"

Lorenzo didn't stop. But he did look at Jaden seriously.

"Y-You don't get it, do ya? I gotta prove myself to Seth Phoenix! Then I'll start bookin' me some real duels! I GOTTA WIN THIS!"

Jaden blinked as his deck re-materialized in his duel disk.

"THAT'S what this is about…?"

Bastion blinked in astonishment. Lorenzo wasn't for the cause.

"Oh dear… This doesn't bode well for him, does it…?"

Seth's deep chuckle reverberated in Bastion's mind.

_No, it doesn't… However, he shall have a change of heart soon enough… Just as soon as the duel reaches its conclusion…_

Bastion's eyes widened.

"…!"

_Y-You know how it will end, Master…?_

Master Seth's laugh sent a chill up Bastion's spine.

_Of course… I see everything. Now… gather Syrus and Bonaparte… Your ride out of there will be with you shortly… It will be Lorenzo's and X's as well._

Bastion just stared at the field, dumbstruck…

Lorenzo chuckled and fished through his deck.

"Re-Select comes with another little trick! It lets me pick a Spell Card from my deck and slap it right on top! … But wait! Why wait to see what it is? I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards! And now I'll unleash Mystical Space Typhoon, just so I can eradicate Boss Rush! Hehe!"

Chazz shook his head and revealed one of his facedowns.

"… I don't think so. See this? It's call Solemn Judgment. And when activated, I have to give up half our points. In doing so, your little Typhoon… is negated. Oh well."

X and Lorenzo: 300

Jaden and Chazz: 3750

Lorenzo cringed as his Spell Card shattered.

"A-A'ight. I set this card facedown… and give you a shot!"

Lorenzo's Hand: 3

Lorenzo's Deck: 17

Jaden nodded and drew. He was obviously pleased with what he drew. He showed it to Lorenzo.

"See? I did draw it after all!"

Lorenzo growled and didn't respond at all. X, on the other hand…

"Hold it right there, Mr. Yuki! You now hold 12 cards! So I activate Purse With a Hole! This card makes it so you have to discard cards in your Hand until you're holding ONLY 5! And… You can't activate cards from your Hand this turn."

Jaden cringed as the animated purse let loose its tongue and sent seven random cards to the Graveyard.

"But… where's the fun in that? C'mon! This is a GAME!"

X chuckled and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"A game? You have much to learn about the real world, Mr. Yuki! But… Oh well. There are some things in life… You'll never understand."

It was Jaden's turn to laugh. He activated his facedown that he had since Round 1.

"Well, the joke's on you! I activate Hero Recall! And this Trap brings back any Elemental Heroes that I discarded this turn! So… Elemental Hero Sparkman, come on back!"

X only laughed at Jaden as he got one out of seven cards returned to his hand.

"… What was the point of that?"

Jaden smirked and ended his turn.

"… You'll see. Next turn."

X looked down at his facedown Defense Position Monster and smirked arrogantly.

_Not if my Monster has anything to say about it…_

Jaden's Hand: 6

Jaden's Deck: 11

Chazz drew his next card.

"My draw…!"

X activated both of his remaining facedowns.

"… Yes. And with it comes a price: I activate Metal Reflect Slime. But it won't be staying for along… For I'm sacrificing it to send the two top cards of your Deck to the Graveyard. Tough break, Mr. Princeton."

Chazz rolled his eyes and eyed his hand carefully.

"… Yeah, sure… First, I activate Ojamandala! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can bring the Gruesome Threesome back to our Field! But that's not all… 'Cause I'm activating Ojama Delta Hurricane! Ya know what that means, right? You… go… bye-bye! In other words… All cards on your side of the field are destroyed!

X and Lorenzo shielded themselves as the Ojamas spun around their whole field and made all their cards shatter. Chazz smirked and set four cards facedown.

"… Good luck, X. 'Cause guess what? I bet this duel's just about done."

X gritted his teeth and waited for Chazz to end his turn.

"Alright, kid… Now you've got me mad…"

Chazz shook his head and continued to smirk at X.

"… Whatever. Make your move."

Chazz's Hand: 4

Chazz's Deck: 1

X and Lorenzo: 300

Jaden and Chazz: 2750

It was X's turn to vehemently draw his next card.

"… You'll pay for stalling, kid… I've still got ways of witling down your decks… Just watch! I activate Hand Destruction! Now we all discard two cards from our respective Hands and pick up two more cards.

X's Hand: 4

X's Deck: 15

Lorenzo's Hand: 3

Lorenzo's Deck: 15

Jaden's Hand: 6

Jaden's Deck: 9

Chazz's Hand: 3

Chazz's Deck: 0

X chuckled again and played a Monster in facedown Defense Position again. Then he set his remaining three cards facedown.

"Lorenzo, it's time to make your move. We shall defeat these children in the next few rounds!"

Lorenzo rolled his eyes and picked up his next card.

"A'ight! Since I can play Monsters again, I think I'll go ahead and Special Summon a Cyber Dragon! … But he won't be there for long! He's a sacrifice! … For B.E.S. Crystal Core! And once per turn, I can change the mode of one of those wimpy Ojamas! You catchin' my drift? You're gonna wish that you never messed with Lorenzo! Crystal Core… attack Ojama Yellow!

(2100/1000)

Ojama Yellow quivered and looked to Chazz imploringly.

"Please, Boss! SAVE ME!"

Chazz only shook his head as Ojama Yellow was switched to Attack Mode and was destroyed by Crystal Core. In the process of destroying a Monster, however, a shield on Crystal Core was used up.

X and Lorenzo: 300

Jaden and Chazz: 650

Chazz smirked as he revealed one of his facedowns.

"… Too bad that's what I WANTED you to do, Lorenzo! 'Cause now… I can activate this and end the duel! Ever hear of Destruction Ring? Well, with this card, all I have to do is sacrifice one Monster, and both sides take one grand each. 'Tough break'!"

Syrus finally piped up. He couldn't help but smile at Chazz's move.

"That means… Everyone will make it out of here alive!"

Bonaparte glared at Syrus and pounded on the bars some more.

"NO! STOP HIM, X!"

Bastion still hadn't recovered from his talk with Master Seth. Hassleberry and Alexis were just too happy to say anything.

X shook his head and smirked. He still had facedowns.

"I object! I hold Ring of Defense! So our Life Points are safe! Can't say the same for yours…"

Chazz laughed as he activated another facedown.

"I thought you might try that… So I had this ready! Magic Drain! Unless you have a Spell Card to discard, you can't activate your Ring of Defense! Again… You… go… BYE-BYE!"

X only seemed to enjoy the resistance further.

"Well… I'VE got another card to counter yours… Trap Jammer!"

Chazz wagged his pointer finger at X.

"… This is the final blow! I have… Seven Tools of the Bandit to counter YOUR trap negation, at the cost of 1000 Life Points! So… WE ALL LOSE! GET OVER IT!"

X snarled. He had one facedown left, and it was all that he could do to save his team.

"W-Well… I have one last trap, Mr. Princeton! Emergency Provisions! Nice, huh? With this, Lorenzo and I will regain 2000 Life Points!"

Chazz laughed louder as he still had two facedowns left to activate. He only needed one, though.

"Not quite, dork! I activate… Bad Reaction to Simochi! This reverses all that health that you were about to receive and changes it to damage instead! Forget it! YOU… GO… BYE-BYE!"

X shook his fist at Chazz as both sides of the field were enveloped in smoke and dust.

"NOOO!"

X and Lorenzo: 0

Jaden and Chazz: 0

As soon as the duel ended, all eyes were on the small containers with keys in them that had risen up from the Arena floor as soon as both sides' Life Points hit 0. Everyone struggled to release themselves from their chains as quickly as possible. The countdown had begun.

Jaden, Chazz, and X had freed themselves rather swiftly. While Lorenzo was fumbling with his key, a helicopter could be heard right outside the Arena. Richter's chortles could be heard from the pilot's open window.

"All aboard! One Stop Flight to Duel Academy!

Bastion, Bonaparte, and Syrus climbed into the copter no problem. But when Hassleberry attempted to, the door closed automatically. Richter yelled so he could be heard over the sound of the roar of the propeller.

"… For Society Members ONLY! I HAVE CHORTLES!"

X had gotten out of the Arena at this point, and he shoved Hassleberry out of the way so he could get to the door. He pounded on it.

"LET ME IN!"

Richter chortled and complied. But quickly closed the door behind him when Hassleberry attempted to climb in again. Chazz, who just got out of the Arena, ran over to the copter and began pounding on the door.

"ENOUGH! LET US IN!"

Alexis, not totally aware that they were being kept out of the helicopter by Richter, called out to Jaden, who was at Lorenzo's side now.

"Come on, Jaden! We gotta get outta here!"

Jaden nodded at Alexis, and then turned his attention back to Lorenzo.

"Hold on, Lorenzo! I'll help!"

Jaden took Lorenzo's key and had him out of the chain in no time. Lorenzo blinked in disbelief at Jaden and couldn't think of a thing to say for a few moments.

"I-I don't know what to say, J-man… You saved me! … But why? I'm the enemy! If our situations were reversed, I doubt I'd do the same for you!"

Jaden grinned and motioned for Lorenzo to follow him out of the Arena.

"No one gets left behind, that's what I say! C'mon!"

Lorenzo had to laugh at Jaden's straightforwardness. But something didn't feel right.

Lorenzo clutched his head and screamed. That caught Jaden's attention, so Jaden ceased running to the exit and turned his attention back to Lorenzo, once again. Lorenzo's hair and eyebrows were now all white, and his eyes… were also white. Jaden took a step back, shocked.

"L-Lorenzo…?"

'Lorenzo' only laughed at Jaden's concern. He jabbed his right pointer finger at Jaden. He had a sadistic look in his eyes.

"Well done, Jaden! You passed yet another test… Bravo!"

Jaden narrowed his eyes at Lorenzo. He didn't know what was going on, but something didn't sound quite right with Lorenzo.

"… Who are you? And why and how are you talking through Lorenzo, instead of talking to me in person? What do you have against me and my friends?"

'Lorenzo' laughed yet again, tauntingly. 'Lorenzo' crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I need to test you before I challenge you for real, Mr. Yuki… My name? Seth Phoenix. Know it. Learn it. I am the one that Bastion and everyone else in the Society of Light serves, and I know all. You are the Chosen One, or so the cards tell me. And you need to be eliminated, for you change Destiny. Many more tests await, and I look forward to issuing them to you… I anticipated that you would lose today, yet mid-duel my vision of the future was changed dramatically. … Because of you… I am coming to Duel Academy. Prepare yourself, for all of your friends, by the time I am finished… will serve the Light! So why not just give in, Mr. Yuki…?"

Jaden's hands clenched into fists and he pointed at 'Lorenzo' angrily.

"No way! There's no way that I'm giving up! I'm taking you and your Society of Light DOWN!"

'Lorenzo' laughed loudly and sighed.

"… Very well. I have given you the option to join me… And you have denied my offer. For that… you will pay. Most dearly.

'Lorenzo' turned his attention to Richter and the copter.

"Richter! Get out of here. Jaden has made his choice. Now he will perish here, along with this traitor…"

Lorenzo's hair went back to being black, and Lorenzo collapsed. Soon after, Richter took the helicopter up and flew away. Jaden hefted Lorenzo onto one shoulder and struggled to get to the door and get out of the Arena.

When Jaden finally got out, everyone was slightly panicking that they had no way to get out of the park in time. Chazz growled and kept clenching his fists.

"How are we supposed to get out of here…? This is ridiculous! I thought they would at least give us a shot at escaping…"

Hassleberry rolled his eyes and kept his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"… Yep. Well… That's what we get for trusting a group of psychos like that."

Alexis nodded and seemed incredibly distressed about their situation.

"If we take the rollercoaster back to the entrance, we may have enough time to get out of here… But I'm not optimistic."

Chazz scoffed and snorted.

"Yeah, 'Lex… But that thing moves incredibly SLOW! That ride took like five minutes to get us here, and we have less than that amount of time to get out of the park PERIOD!"

Jaden groaned and didn't put Lorenzo down.

"We'll find some way to get outta here… I'm sure…

Everyone looked up at the approach of a helicopter. It was different from the one that Richter had taken off with, and it had the KaibaCorp logo on it.

Someone opened the door, and everyone could see Aster waving at them as the helicopter continued to descend. Jaden could only beam at the sight.

"What'd I tell ya…?"

Jaden said and breathed a sight of relief.

After everyone climbed aboard and got Lorenzo to fit, the helicopter took off. The park exploded in a sea of flames after the helicopter was a safe distance away.

Aster looked back at the burning amusement park and smiled amusedly.

"What would you guys do without me…? I got a call that something was up, and I immediately phoned Sheppard. Unfortunately, he won't be back for some time, but he did give me permission to take this helicopter and come save you guys. So… What happened?"

After explaining everything thoroughly and letting everyone have their input, Jaden sat back in his seat, relieved and tired.

"We'd have been goners… Thanks, Aster!"

Now that everyone was finished talking, Aster had an expression that indicated he was deep in thought. Aster spoke up after a period of silence.

"… My manager… I don't know what he's up to… Or even how he pulled this off… But I'll say this: We'll stop him. Mark my words. He can scheme and plan all he wants… But he won't succeed in whatever he's planning to do… I just wish… we had an inkling… All we know is what he told you, Jay… And I'm not sure I like the sound of these 'tests'…"

The rest of the ride back to Duel Academy, which didn't take very long at all, was in silence…

Meanwhile, in a lightened room across the sea…

Seth flipped a card. The Wheel of Fate. Seth chuckled darkly. He pulled out a case from under the table and opened it, revealing three very special cards inside. Seth couldn't help but chuckle some more.

"… Yes… The Ultimate Tests… They are still to come… I can only hope that Jaden survives the tests that lead up to them… Hahaha…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Featured Cards: **

** Avenged Loss: Normal Trap Card. Effect: Pay 500 Life Points. Any cards you lose due to a trap card used by your opponent go back to your Deck. **

** Morphing Jar #3: (800/800) 3-Stars, Rock, Earth-Attribute. Effect: Flip: Return all Monsters to their respective decks. Then, draw the same number of cards as the total number of Stars on your each respective side of the field. If you did not pick up a single Monster, all cards are discarded to the Graveyard. **

** Note: 'Morphing Jar #3 isn't 'completely' original. Go back and watch 'Not Playing With a Full Deck' in Yugioh GX Season 2. One of X's Monsters was never defined, if memory serves, so I just took its effect and gave it a name. Also, the final moves were all in a Chain, so I hope the duel's still all legit. Lastly: I am thinking of making Lorenzo a main character. Let me know what you think… ~Yaxon**


	6. Chapter 6

**Majorly, this is a flashback Chapter. On the side… Seth Phoenix comes to Duel Academy 'officially'. He'd already been there, as evident by Bastion, the White Dorm, and the theme park death trap. … But now he's enrolled as a student, thanks to some strings pulled by Crowler and Bonaparte. Apologies for the length of the duels, I'll be 'stepping up my game' in future duels and making them longer. On the bright side… thanks for roughly 1000 Views, and all the Reviews, Subscriptions and Alerts! I don't deserve them, but thanks! … On with the Chapter, mates.**

Richter was piloting Seth's private jet to Duel Academy. As Aster Phoenix and Zane Truesdale's manager and Vice President of Altru Inc., Seth Phoenix had accumulated a fair amount of wealth. To him, forming the Society of Light was a mere hobby. But to those apart of the Society, well… They treated him like a god. Openly, he didn't mind the attention. Privately… He found it a little irritating. Everyone, bar Richter, was just a pawn to be used by him. No one in the Society, except for Richter and Seth himself, knew that all members were disposable. Not even the alleged 'second-in-command'.

Seth had to smile at the naivete. It was true that the praise and worship were well-deserved, but Seth didn't ask for any of it. They were just making it harder for themselves when the time came to dispose of them all. … Of course, that was 'Seth' and his thoughts on the subject. The Light, on the other hand… The Light had other ideas for the Society of Light. It was going to bring the entire human race into the Society - that was its Destiny. The Light hated resistance, and thus despised Jaden and Hassleberry for resisting it. The Light would make Jaden and his friends pay for crossing its path… But for now that would have to wait, the Light had some business joining its disciples at Duel Academy. The Society was growing stronger, but was apparently running into some trouble with the resistance, otherwise known as Jaden and his gaggle of friends.

Richter turned on the intercom and gleefully chortled.

"Two minutes until our arrival at Duel Academy, Master!"

Seth, who had his eyes closed up until this time, opened his eyes and couldn't help but smile.

_We don't have all the key players yet… But that will come in time. For now… a tale must be told. A tale of the 'first' member to join my Society… _

Seth looked out the window. The jet was now descending and preparing to make a landing. They were landing at the pier, thus the Slifer Red Dorm was viewable upon landing. Seth narrowed his eyes and frowned.

_Jaden… You will pay for crossing my path… Mark my words..._

While the jet was landing, Bastion was standing on the pier. He insisted that he be the one to escort Master Seth to the White Dorm, and that everyone else just wait in the White Dorm's Duel Arena for his 'grand entrance'. Crowler and Bonaparte… Well… Bonaparte mostly… had already hinted at pulling some sort of stunt just for Master Seth's arrival… Bastion had repeatedly warned the two stooges not to make an embarrassment of themselves, the White Dorm, and, most importantly, Master Seth… But Bastion questioned whether his repeated warnings did any real good. Crowler and Bonaparte screwed up a lot of things, and even with their joining the Society they were still fairly stooge-y… Bastion could only imagine what they were 'cooking up' as Bonaparte put it.

Bastion had been in deep thought, and had his head bowed when Master Seth with Richter in tow walked up to him.

"Bastion…"

Bastion snapped out of his stupor when he heard his name mentioned. He very nearly saluted… But he knew Master Seth detested saluting… So it didn't actually happen. Nevertheless, Bastion did straighten up and looked determinedly at his Master.

"S-Sir! It's an honor to have you with us! We are delighted to welcome you home!"

Seth shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Bastion… This isn't 'home'… To be honest… With the enemy here… It's more like a battlefield. Nevertheless, I thank you for having the decency to come and escort me to the White Dorm. … Though I loathe what awaits me there."

"W-Why?"

Bastion questioned. While Bastion could see into the future slightly in duels, he couldn't foresee regular events before they happened. Seth shook his head and shuddered, an out-of-character action for him.

"Let's just move on… The quicker we get there, the quicker the embarrassment will be over…"

Bastion led the way as they made their way to the White Dorm…

Master Seth stopped at the corner that led to the Duel Arena's main entrance. And again he shuddered. He really loathed what was about to occur. Bastion had already gone ahead, not noticing that Master Seth had not followed him immediately. When Bastion entered the Duel Arena, he was shocked and appalled. Up on the Duel Arena stage was a horrid display of puppets dressed up as Society members. The throne that had been placed on the Arena floor for this very occasion was nowhere to be seen.

Bastion shook a fist at Bonaparte, who was sitting and grinning mischievously at Bastion.

"I told you… NO embarrassments! Is this your idea of a JOKE? Where is Master Seth's throne…?

Bonaparte held up a remote control with a big red button on it. Bastion narrowed his eyes at Bonaparte and glared daggers into the stubby man.

"Don't you dare…"

Bonaparte pressed the button. It was just as Bastion had suspected… The puppets began to move and sing on stage, and cheery background music filled the air… In other words… It was… a puppet show. Bastion could only cringe at Bonaparte's stupidity. Some of the puppets were even SALUTING! Master Seth DETESTED saluting!

Though… Bastion had to admit… In some strange, sick sense… the words and the music together… was actually kind of catchy.

_"Heeheehee… Hahaha… Hohoho... Seth Phoenix! Seth Phoenix! The amazing soothsayer! Wee! Seth Phoenix! Seth Phoenix! Everybody give a cheer! Hooray!"_

Bastion fell to his knees. Bonaparte had gone too far this time… This was EMBARRASING! Bastion squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

"_He's modest, clever, and so smart! He barely can restrain it! And so much generosity… There's no way to contain it! To contain it! To contain! To contain! To contain! Hohohohohohoho… Hahaha..."_

Bonaparte beamed proudly. Bastion might not have appreciated his way of showing his appreciation to Master Seth, but Master Seth would. He just knew he would.

"_Seth Phoenix! Seth Phoenix! He's the one that you're about to meet! Seth Phoenix! Seth Phoenix! He's a genius who just can't be beat!"_

Crowler blinked in astonishment at the spectacle. This was just… astounding. Bonaparte was definitely going to be Master Seth's favorite… in Crowler's eyes, anyway. He frowned at Bonaparte who was sitting next to him. Though the stubby man didn't seem to take notice. The song was reaching its conclusion, and the best part was to come… in Bonaparte's eyes.

"_A magician and dueling wiz! The best darn guy who ever lived! Seth Phoenix… Heeere heee iiis!"_

A throne that had been concealed beneath the stage rose up as sparklers and mini-fireworks began going off. However… Due to the sparks… and the fact that wood was the primary material up on the Dueling Arena… The puppets caught fire and began to melt. The appalling display of puppets was now even more appalling with mutilated puppets. Their 'voices' were affected, naturally… And now they sounded demonic almost.

Bastion twitched and stared numbingly at the show that finally ended. He shot another glare at Bonaparte and stood up and pointed straight at Bonaparte accusingly.

"You call yourself a member of the Society of Light…? You should be ashamed! Why… You should be…"

Clapping interrupted Bastion, and everyone's attention was on the man walking into the Duel Arena. Seth smirked and chuckled.

"Well… The show itself was a disgrace, but I quite enjoyed the finale… Well done, Bonaparte…"

Bonaparte nervously tugged at his collar, nodded, and sweated.

"Y-Yes, sir… A-All apart of the show… Ehe…"

_Or not…_

Bonaparte thought to himself. Meanwhile, Seth continued clapping and motioned for the entirety of the White Dorm to join him. Which they did.

"Wasn't that delightful…? Wasn't that charming…?  
>Seth made his way to the throne and turned to face the entirety of the White Dorm.<p>

"Good morning, my children… Fellow Soldiers of the Light… How goes the day?"

Bastion knelt on one knee before the White Arena's stage. He dared not ascend to Master Seth's level; he was too scared to offend his Master at this point. Bastion bowed his head.

"Well, sir… To be honest, we expected to have the whole school under our command at this point. But Jaden and his friends have gotten in our way on more than one occasion already… Currently, all of Ra Yellow, bar Hassleberry, a good percentage of Obelisk Blues, and some Slifer Reds have joined us. We're working on the remaining Obelisk Blue students, and we're beginning to turn our attention to Slifer Red. At your command, no one has dueled Jaden since that tag duel you set up last week. Very sorry, sir."

Seth chuckled as Bastion didn't look up even once. He didn't indicate it was okay to stand up, even though it was. Seth just enjoyed having a little fun with Bastion.

"I already knew that…"

Bastion looked up finally and looked straight into his Master's eyes, shocked.

"Wh-What…? B-But… Then… Why…"

Seth sighed and crossed one leg over the other as he sat on the throne arranged specifically for him. It was time to get down to business. … This would be a long monologue.

"Well… Through visions of the future, I witnessed this new White Dorm losing confidence simply because not all the strongest duelists were apart of it. The reason I have come… is to reveal a hidden hope… in this bitter, bitter War.

Seth clasped his hands together and stared into space.

"… It's not always easy for one to find his way to the Society of Light… Indeed, the first member to join travelled a very harsh road before he became the first of many to join my Society…"

Bastion blinked and continued staring at his Master. Admittedly, he had lost some admiration here and there, but it wasn't exactly 'harsh' before he had become a Society member. What could his Master mean?

"Master…? I-I didn't travel…"

Seth looked down at Bastion, but he didn't give Bastion a harsh look for questioning him this early.

"Bastion… As much as you'd like to think that you were my first disciple… You're not. There was one member who joined before you… My first disciple… His name… is Zane Truesdale."

_- 2 weeks before the new School Year -_

Zane Truesdale was an admirable duelist. He graduated as the Valedictorian of his class, he was the first duelist to defeat Jaden Yuki at Duel Academy, and he possessed the birthright of the Cyber Legacy. Zane believed that after graduating from Duel Academy he would rise to the top in the Pro Circuit. Being the top of his graduating class, Zane had many offers from various companies and organizations to be his sponsor… But for some reason, out of all the choices he had, Zane felt compelled to have Seth Phoenix as his manager.

Seth Phoenix never extended his services to Zane. Or to anyone, besides Aster, for that matter. However, Seth did make it known to all that he would take on anyone as his latest client. But he would only choose one new client. No more, no less. Almost overnight, Zane became Seth Phoenix's newest client. Everyone knew about the manager called Seth Phoenix, Aster Phoenix had won thirty consecutive Pro Matches in a row. He had gone undefeated for two years. And as Aster's fame rose, so too did Seth's. When Seth announced that he would be taking on a second client, every Pro in the Pro Circuit, bar Aster, tried to get signed up with Seth Phoenix. Even the D, the supposed 'World Champ'. In the end, though… Zane was chosen out of all potential candidates. Seth never gave a reason for his choice… Seth's only comment was that Zane Truesdale had unforeseen potential.

In the first three months of his career, Zane went undefeated. Aster continued his undefeated Pro Record as well, but Aster slowly became less and less popular with the masses as time went on. Soon, 'Zane Truesdale' was the most popular name in the papers up until the month when Duel Academy started up again. The hardcore Aster 'Phoenatics' were still going wild over Aster Phoenix, naturally… But it became apparent that Zane was gaining quite the reputation. … Which is probably why Aster became slightly concerned.

Aster marched into Seth's office with a gaze fixated at Seth, who was sitting in his usual spot in the middle of the room at his circular table, cards sprawled all out on top of it. Seth knowingly smiled at Aster's 'intrusion' and spoke clearly and concisely.

"The cards tell me you have a question eating away inside of you… I wonder what it could be?"

Aster frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You KNOW what I'm gonna ask! WHY did you take on a second client? I mean… Did you just get bored with me…? Seriously! I was fine with you taking on another client, especially a newbie seeing as how newbies don't tend to get very far these days… But you're doing the exact same thing you did with me! You're molding him into an unbeatable duelist! HIS name is on the front page more often instead of MINE! Do you want me to drop you, or what?"

Seth chuckled and clasped his hands together. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. Again, he responded clearly and concisely.

"No, Aster… There is no need to 'drop me'… Taking on a second client was simply meant to be… The cards do not lie, Aster… You cannot deny Destiny."

Aster huffed and closed his eyes, irritated.

"Well… If it's alright with you, I want a duel with this new 'protégé' of yours. I'm tired of hearing his name lately, and I JUST want to prove that I'm superior to him. Is that too much to ask?"

Seth laughed and opened his eyes. He smirked devilishly.

"Fine… If it's a duel you want, I'm more than willing to schedule a duel between my two clients. After all… a duel between two titans such as the two of you will be good publicity…"

Seth continued laughing to himself. Aster smirked and began to walk out of the room.

"Good. Glad you finally see things my way. Just let me know when and where…"

Seth smirked again and looked at Aster from the corner of his eye.

"How about tomorrow night? Is that a good time for you…?"

Aster stopped walking away and turned immediately on his heel and twitched at Seth.

"T-T-Tomorrow night…? B-But… Isn't that… too soon…?"

Seth chuckled and shuffled the cards in front of him.

"Aster, you are booked solid for the next year. Really. If you want to duel Mr. Truesdale so badly… why wait? Given another year, Mr. Truesdale would be a superstar, just like you. Well… Not that he isn't already, but you get the gist. Left unchecked, Mr. Truesdale could… beat you, if given enough time to improve his game."

Aster balled his hands into fists and shook angrily.

"YOU THINK THAT PUNK HAS A CHANCE?"

Seth shook his head and ceased laughing.

"Aster… I am merely stating a fact. Who knows how well Mr. Truesdale will be dueling in just a year? I don't. You don't. Not even Mr. Truesdale knows. Only Destiny knows. Perhaps Mr. Truesdale is the Chosen One…? What if he is, Aster?"

Aster shook his head furiously and glared at the back of Seth's head.

"He's NOT… I'M the Chosen One…!"

Seth chuckled and ceased shuffling the pile of cards and smirked, knowing Aster would accept the duel being tomorrow night.

"Only one way to find out…"

Aster hung his head and sighed. Seth had a point. He HAD to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was the Chosen One… and Zane WAS getting a little TOO popular…

"… Fine."

The Kaiba Dome was abuzz with activity. Tonight was the big night: Aster Phoenix VS Zane Truesdale! The sudden change in schedules wasn't anticipated, and Seth did get some negative feedback from Pro League Officials… But Seth managed to secure the duel for that night, and the fans didn't seem to mind the unpredictability of the match. Zane… wasn't too sure about the match, thinking it odd that a match with Aster Phoenix for that night suddenly happening. Still, he was alright with it, in the end. He had no choice but to go through with it, honestly.

Zane looked across the Arena at Aster Phoenix. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and scanned Aster. Zane just couldn't see his manager suddenly wanting his two clients going head to head, and that left Aster as the prime suspect for challenging him to a duel. Zane HAD been looking forward to going head to head with Joey Wheeler tonight… But what's done is done.

Zane smiled and watched as Aster shuffled his deck.

"So… An undefeated Pro with thirty Pro League Matches under his belt… Not bad, kid."

Aster smirked and inserted his deck into his duel disk.

"You're not in the Minor Leagues anymore, Zane-y! And after tonight, you won't be sharing the spotlight with me! I'm gonna prove to the world that you're NOT in my league!"

Zane shook his head.

"Aster… One duel won't prove anything… It will take a lot more than one match to prove your superiority. All that's happening tonight… is one of us… will not be undefeated anymore."

Aster smirked as they both drew their first five cards.

"Isn't that a cryin' shame? The fact of the matter is, Zane-y… You have twenty Pro League Matches under your belt. I have thirty. Nobody's gonna admire a twenty-match-winning hack! True, you could POSSIBLY defeat me in the future… though the chances are VERY slim… But I will have a lot more than thirty wins under my belt by that time! Face it, Zane-y… I'm not gonna lose 'til I have more than a thousand wins!"

Zane rolled his eyes and didn't draw his sixth card.

"Arrogance won't get you far, kid… It would take years to accumulate that many wins… And let's be honest: Who but the King of Games could do that? Not you, not me. Not even Kaiba or the D."

Aster rolled his eyes at Zane and drew his sixth card.

"Enough, already! LET'S DUEL!

Aster: 4000

Zane: 4000

"Beauty before age! Now what to do first… I think I'll summon my good ol' Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!

(1200/800)

Zane smirked, but didn't say anything. He had dueled Jaden, and knew that he could win this duel easily if Aster used a deck exactly like Jaden's. Aster set a card facedown.

"Well… I guess that's it for now. 'Til next round!"

Aster: 4000

Aster's Hand: 4

Zane drew his sixth card and instantly used it.

"I summon Cyber Dragon! I can do it if all the Monsters are on your side of the field.

(2100/1600)

"Then… I'll summon Proto Cyber Dragon. But he won't be around for long… I activate Photon Generator Unit! By tributing my Proto Cyber Dragon, I can summon the Cyber Laser Dragon.

(2400/1800)

"Now, Cyber Dragon! Attack Burstinatrix!

Cyber Dragon attacked Burstinatrix and destroyed her with ease. Aster didn't seem fazed at all. Zane pointed straight at Aster.

"And Cyber Laser Dragon… Attack Aster directly!"

Aster: 700

Zane: 4000

Zane's Hand: 2

Aster simply shook his head as Zane ended his turn. Aster drew his next card confidently. He fixated his gaze on Zane after briefly looking at his hand.

"Hmph… Not a bad move for a rookie. But I've got an even better move. Look out! I activate the Warrior Returning Alive, which brings back Burstinatrix! But she won't be staying for long… I activate Double Fusion! By paying 500 Life Points, I'm allowed to make two fusions this round, if I've got the Monsters. I fuse Avian and Burstinatrix to make the Phoenix Enforcer, and then I fuse the Phoenix Enforcer with my Sparkman! This lets me bring out… Shining Phoenix Enforcer! Now THIS is a card.

(2500/2100)

"For every Elemental Hero in my Graveyard, Shining Phoenix Enforcer gets a 300 Attack Point boost! With four cards, that's 1200 more points! Now, Shining Phoenix Enforcer… ATTACK CYBER LASER DRAGON!"

Zane gritted his teeth as his toughest Monster was wiped out by one attack.

Zane: 2700

Aster smirked and set his last card facedown.

"That's all for now. I gotta admit, Zane-y… I thought you'd be… tougher."

Aster: 200

Aster's Hand: 0

Zane drew his next card and couldn't help but smirk. If he managed to pull this off, Aster would be finished instantly. But Zane couldn't take any chances just yet…

"I activate Pot of Greed! I draw two cards. Then… I activate Overload Fusion to fuse my Cyber Dragon and Proto Cyber Dragon. Say hello to my Cyber Twin Dragon!

(2800/2100)

"And that's not all… I activate Limiter Removal to double Cyber Twin Dragon's power. … It's all over for you. Cyber Twin Dragon… ATTACK!"

Aster chuckled at Zane's naivete. He had a counter ready.

"Activate Draining Shield! And not only does this stop your attack, but it gives me a boost as well! A boost equal to the Attack of your Monster! And that's quite a lot to gain."

Aster: 5800

Zane narrowed his eyes at Aster and proceeded with a second Attack.

"… Fine. But your Monster is history! As its name suggests, Cyber Twin Dragon can attack TWICE!"

Aster shook his head as Shining Phoenix Enforcer took the attack head-on.

"Well… Shining Phoenix Enforcer has an idea that you might want to know about, Zane-y… Unlike the Shining Flare Wingman, Shining Phoenix Enforcer can't be destroyed in battle. Too bad."

Aster: 3900

Zane glowered at Aster and went with his back-up plan.

"… Fine. But Cyber Twin Dragon is sticking around… I activate Trap Booster, which allows me to activate a trap card from my hand. A card like Interdimensional Matter Transporter. This card allows me to remove Cyber Twin Dragon from the game until the End Phase. Meaning it'll escape destruction by Limiter Removal's effect. So I'll STILL have the stronger Monster, Aster."

Cyber Twin Dragon was Removed from Play until Zane ended his move. It was going to be a close match.

Zane: 2700

Zane's Hand: 0

Aster shook his head and drew his next card.

"Whatever… I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards.

Aster picked up a couple of more cards. Then he turned Shining Phoenix Enforcer to Defense Mode.

"… That's all for now. Even though Shining Phoenix Enforcer is weaker, remember: It can't be destroyed in Battle."

Aster: 3900

Aster's Hand: 2

Zane nodded and drew his next card.

_Dark Core… With this, eliminating that Shining Phoenix Enforcer would be easy… But I need to discard a card from my hand to use this. Oh well… Next turn. _

Zane shook his head and didn't do anything.

"… Pass. Your turn."

Aster smirked and drew his next card gleefully.

"Thank you, Zane-y! And now… for the moment of truth! Did you draw a card capable of eliminating me next round? Guess we'll see! I play Exchange! With this, I can choose one card from your hand and claim it as my own. Then, you can claim one from mine. Not like it matters, though. That's right. I saw that look in your eye. You drew a card that you wanted to play, but couldn't. Now give it to me!

Zane growled as they walked towards each other in the Arena. Aster's smirk broadened as he saw the card Zane was holding. Then he showed Zane his: Elemental Hero Clayman and Miracle Fusion. Zane took the Clayman, but knew it was in vain.

Zane and Aster walked back to their opposite ends of the Arena and faced each other. Aster continued smirking as he played Zane's 'gift'.

"I activate Dark Core! By discarding one card from mine, I can eliminate one Monster on the field and Remove it from Play! Guess what I pick, Zane-y?

Cyber Twin Dragon was Removed from the game, and Aster turned Shining Phoenix Enforcer to Attack Mode.

"What an appropriate end… to a complete waste of my time! Shining Phoenix Enforcer… Attack!"

Zane gritted his teeth as he took the oncoming Attack. He couldn't risk losing the one card that could win him the duel… But it happened. And because of 'playing it safe'… Zane lost.

Zane: 0

Aster 3900

Aster laughed as the crowd cheered him on. Zane knelt on one knee, choosing to not snap at Aster. Aster had won fair and square, and Zane could blame no one but himself for losing.

"… Good game."

Zane said clearly enough and loud enough for Aster to hear. But Aster didn't seem to care.

"You're right where you belong, the pathetic dog that you are! I'm the best there is! AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!"

"…"

Zane said no more as the fans continued screaming wildly in the stands. Zane's old fans were now cheering on Aster…

After his loss to Aster Phoenix, Zane continued dueling in the Pros, despite his undefeated record being crushed before it had a chance to develop into a true record. To Zane, it wasn't about the wins. Not anymore. It was about having good duels, whether he won or not. … Too bad he had more losses than wins after that one loss to Aster Phoenix. The catchphrase, "And yet ANOTHER loss for Zane Truesdale' was now becoming typical. And because of all the losses, he was booted back to the Minor Leagues. Yet despite all the losses, Zane wouldn't give up showing respect for his opponents. And Seth Phoenix, having the same 'determination', wouldn't give up being Zane's manager. Zane even confronted Seth about it one night after yet another loss in the Minor Leagues.

Zane was walking ahead of Seth Phoenix in a tunnel leading to the subway. Without warning, Zane turned on his heel and looked Seth Phoenix in the eye.

"Why do you keep me on as your client, Seth? Any other manager would have dropped me by now. In fact, they would've dropped me the moment I lost to Aster Phoenix. Yet you're still my manager… Why? You're tarnishing your reputation as a manager by managing me, the worst 'Pro Duelist' in the Circuit. Not even managing Aster Phoenix will be able to maintain your reputation! It's better if you just… leave me… Everyone else has…"

Seth closed his eyes until Zane had finished. He put his arms behind his back and replied smoothly.

"Mr. Truesdale… I have a knack for spotting talent in professional duelists, and I see the same spark in you as I do in Aster. One loss has ruined your reputation, and do you know why? Because you have _let _it ruin your reputation. You doubt yourself and your abilities, when really you have everything you need to make it in the Pros. And I am here to give you the push you need to get back out there and duel with everything you have.

Zane blinked as Seth opened his eyes and directed a serious look at Zane.

"I admire you for respecting your opponents, no matter how rudely they treat you… and I admire you for having the courage to go out into the world on your own, despite not realizing that you are hurting yourself every time you duel. But there is a time when you can't sink any lower. Zane: that time is now here. 'What doesn't kill you always makes you stronger.' Zane… All those losses have wounded you, but they have not killed you. You can't go any lower because you've hit rock bottom: Dueling in the Minor Leagues and _losing_.

Zane shut his eyes tight and grimaced. The words stung, but he felt that they were true. Seth placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled 'genuinely'.

"… Zane. You have two options available to you: Give up your passion of dueling and stop humiliating yourself… Or put your faith in me, and I will be your guide back to greatness: Sold-Out Arenas, adoring fans, and matches in which you _always_ win… Not to mention a brother who will be proud to call you his brother. The choice is yours, Zane. And all your troubles will be over, either way. Believe me: I know what it's like. Being at the bottom is not fun… But there's only one way to go from here: Up. Or, you can pick to go 'up and out'."

Zane opened his eyes and stared at his duel disk on his arm. Strangely enough, Seth had been making a lot of sense. Continuing to duel in the Minor Leagues as he was now would be foolish. Giving up seemed to be the sensible solution, but Seth's offer at making him a Pro again did seem tantalizing. Zane DID want another shot at Aster, but being a Minor, he had no right to challenge a Pro, technically. … And if he was going to challenge Aster again, there was only one real choice.

Zane looked up at Seth again, whose hand was still on his shoulder. He gave a small smile.

"… What do you need me to do?"

Zane was expecting some kind of duel to earn back his reputation as a Pro, but all that Seth did was take him on a train ride to some… town. Zane had ridden that train dozens of times, but never did it take him to a place like this. Fog was everywhere, and it was thick. The only way that Zane could tell that the place was a town was by the street lights shining through the fog. It had been midday when Seth and Zane had boarded the train, but now it was night, oddly enough.

Seth didn't proceed with Zane into the town, claiming that Zane had to make this journey on his own. Zane would be able to find his way back only after he had learned the secret to earn back his reputation. And with those words alone, Seth and the train departed from the town, leaving Zane stranded with no idea of where he was.

Zane didn't move too far into the town at first. At first, he tried examining his surroundings, looking for any indication of where he was. Unfortunately, other than the street lights staying on… There was nothing to be seen or heard. The fog was that thick. If it hadn't been for the fact that it was nighttime, Zane would've suspected that he had been dropped off in some sort of ghost town, what with all the inactivity. Other than Zane's breathing… There wasn't a sound to be heard anywhere nearby. Only silence. But… there had to be people here, right? The streetlights were shining brilliantly, like they had just been turned on, and the bulbs were fresh.

Zane finally moved after several moments, thinking he'd hear or see someone or something that would reassure him that the town was populated. However, he didn't spy anything, not even buildings, as he walked through the streets of the town.

_This is odd… Why can't I see anything…? Even if the streetlights were just there to guide people on a path in a park, you'd think you'd be able to spot trees at the very least. But there's nothing here. Just these… streetlights. The fog's so thick I can't see the lamp posts. Only the lights shine through this dense fog. How the heck am I supposed to go on a journey, if I can't even find out where I am? _

Almost as if on cue, the fog lifted, and Zane found himself staring at a vibrant, beauteous town sprawled out in front of him. The bricks on the brick road seemed like they were just laid down, and the buildings themselves looked quite new. The air was fresh, no hint of pollution anywhere.

Zane took a few steps into what appeared to be a new town, and ran into someone almost right away. He was a young man with a blue cap, an orange sweatshirt with a hood, black pants, and brown shoes. The man was just a little shorter than Zane, and he his hair was short and tame. Also, the man was skinnier than Zane, and he had a bored look on his face until Zane walked up. The man ceased flipping his coin and put his hands in his pockets, like he was expecting an encounter like this to happen.

Zane was the first to speak up. Zane started the conversation as casually as possible, not wanting to seem suspicious.

"Hello. Pleasant evening to be out for a stroll."

The young man looked to the side and sighed. It wasn't a sigh that sounded aggravated, but a sigh that sounded like the young man had given up all hope, and now he had to be the bearer of 'bad news.'

"It's not bad, I guess… But there really isn't much else to do, y'know?"

Zane raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Well, what would you rather be doing, if I might ask?"

The young man pointed at Zane's arm and chuckled.

"Haven't seen one of those things in ages. Sure, here in Oneiro, we don't use doo-dads like that to play the game, but we're not so isolated that we're not up-to-date on the whole disk-dueling thing-a-ma-bobs. Last time I saw one of those things, it was, eh, what? Two years ago? Three? Eh, what's the point? Anyway. Ever since the mines stopped churnin' out the gold, strange things started happenin'. Sure, having our main source of profits disappear into thin air is bad enough, but taking away our freedom to play the game we all know and love? It's just not good, Mac. Oneiro might as well hurry up and die already."

Zane's eyebrows arched again at the mention of the town's name. He had never heard of it. Not to mention that dueling being outlawed sounded bizarre to him.

"Oneiro…? Where's this located…? And why is dueling forbidden…?"

Now the young man sounded aggravated. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and snorted.

"… Hmph. A wise guy, huh? Oneiro hasn't been doin' too good lately, but c'mon. Ya gotta admit that you've heard of the Incendia family fortune and that the only reason you came here was to get your grubby little hands on some o' that moolah. Seriously. You ain't foolin' me, pal."

Zane held up his hands peacefully, not really knowing anything about the town.

"Take it easy, I really don't know anything. I just got here from Domino after my-"

The young man snorted again.

"Domino? That pipsqueak of a town? I thought that the train to there was outta commission for a while or somethin'… Eh. If you're from there, I guess that explains the weird clothes and your lack of knowledge about this place… Still, ya gotta admit that we haven't had a visitor for a while now. Anyways… Who knows? Maybe you'll be the one to beat that punk into next week… And we'll finally be able to duel again, like nothing ever happened…"

"'That punk'? You mean Incendia?"

The young man shook his head and chuckled.

"Nah… Duke Incendia's kinda like our city's guardian. Though 'cause of the punk that stopped the duelin', he's been keeping Duke Incendia away from Oneiro. Duke Incendia lived a ways away from Oneiro to begin with, but now he has no accessible route to the town. Before too long, Oneiro's gonna turn into a ghost town like all the other towns around here that developed during the gold rush in these valleys. I can't stand livin' here anymore 'cause I'm so bored! And I've lived here all my life!"

Zane didn't reply immediately. The man finally mentioned something that he had read about some time ago.

_Wait… The town of Domino developed because the original pioneers left their hometowns that had been built to locate gold in the valleys a fair ways away from what is the Domino of today. Eventually, all the towns died out, but Domino prospered after the gold rush ended. And that gold rush was at least fifty years ago… Either the mines started up again recently, or something is wrong here…_

Zane looked the young man in the eye and spoke clearly.

"Where is this 'punk'?"

The man took Zane to a hotel. Without explaining why, the young man left Zane there. On the way out, the man accidently bumped into Zane's duel disk. Apologizing, the man quickly left. Unbeknownst to Zane, an additional card had slipped into his deck. As soon as the man left, a bellboy walked up to Zane and inquired about Zane's baggage, of which he had none.

"Well, sir… Do you wish me to hold onto that… item on your arm?"

Zane shook his head and proceeded up the stairs, expecting to be taken to his room. Obviously, that man had thought that Zane needed to stay the night to rest up for his duel. However, Zane was only interested in fulfilling that 'journey' that Seth had sent him on. Oneiro was a complete mystery to Zane, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. The bellboy brought Zane to his room, and left Zane to his thoughts.

_The town looks new… The décor, at least as far as the hotel is concerned, looks clean and new as well, but it all just looks so… old. You wouldn't expect a town like this in the 21__st__ century… But here I am, and the town baffles me._

Zane fell back on the bed and shut his eyes for just a moment.

_… Maybe I do need some shuteye… I have been up since 6 this morning… That guy probably noticed I was fatigued and brought me here… Funny… We didn't introduce ourselves… _

Zane's eyes opened once again, and he gazed around his room. His eyes rested on an oval mirror situated above and in front of a counter where one spruced up. Nothing struck Zane as odd about the mirror, but he felt drawn to it, all the same. Zane got up out of bed and walked over to look at the mirror. There wasn't a crack or a single blemish on it. The glass was so smooth and shiny.

Zane's eyes widened suddenly. How could he have not noticed it sooner? The reflection was very different from the room that he was in…

_The reflection… the room… it's… it's in shambles… It looks OLD… and it looks like it hasn't been used in years… _

Zane suddenly felt that he wasn't alone in the room, and that he was in danger. But the reflection showed nothing, and when he turned around there was nothing to be found. And yet, Zane suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness. His deck was sent flying all over the room. All of Zane's cards glowed an eerie white glow. This glow didn't seem to remain in the cards for long, though. The lights speedily shifted from the cards to Zane. Then they were all absorbed into Zane's head…

When Zane regained consciousness, he was in a 'white' place. To be accurate, the place was entirely consisted of Light. How Zane managed to stand was beyond his comprehension. But he did. And his mind quickly registered that he wasn't alone. Zane spun around rapidly until he came face to face with… himself. However, it is to be noted that this duplicate was dressed completely in white, and he had white hair and eyebrows, and his eyes were devoid of life and empty.

Zane narrowed his eyes at his doppelganger and frowned.

"Who are you…? Where am I…? And why have you brought me here…?"

The white-haired Zane chuckled darkly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He even had a duel disk, albeit a white one.

"… I am you. Well to be completely accurate, the part of you that accepted the Light without resistance. As for where you are… well… that is a little more difficult to answer. Let's just say… that I'm the 'punk' that you're after, and that I have brought you here because you seek to duel me."

The doppelganger activated his duel disk and smirked. Zane didn't budge an inch and kept glaring at his doppelganger.

"So… I'm after… myself? You're telling me that I'm out to duel myself, to win back the freedom to duel for the people of Oneiro?"

Doppelganger Zane pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"The Light is what forbade dueling in Oneiro, I'm just… anyway. The point is, the freedom of Oneiro can never be won back because you're already too late. FAR too late. But let's forget that and focus on why you're really here… You were sent on a journey by 'Seth Phoenix', and this duel will be the test that you must pass if you are to return to greatness. Technically, I have no dueling deck, so I had to 'borrow' some cards…"

"…! That man…"

Zane's eyes widened in realization. Doppelganger Zane chuckled darkly again.

"Finally catching on, eh? That bump was no mere coincidence, naturally. I was that man, actually. In fact… You could say that I'm all of Oneiro. … But never mind, you humans will never understand. The point is: I have copied your deck, and you will be dueling yourself. The stakes are this: If I win, you will serve me, just like 'Seth Phoenix.' If you happen to win… Then congratulations. Having said all that… You won't be winning. I am how you will return to greatness, you will see."

Zane looked to the side, but activated his duel disk. He was lost, but times like these were nothing new to Zane. Both drew their first five cards.

"… Fine. Whatever. Let's duel!"

Zane: 4000

Light: 4000

Zane's doppelganger went first.

"My draw! … I set one card facedown and end my turn."

Light's Hand: 5

Zane rolled his eyes as he drew his sixth card. If his doppelganger copied his deck, the doppelganger probably drew at least one Cyber Dragon on his first draw, and was trying to summon it to the field next turn. Too bad the doppelganger would be in for a rude awakening with what Zane had in mind.

"I activate Power Bond! By fusing the three Cyber Dragons in my hand, I can bring out my Cyber End Dragon! By the power of Power Bond, its strength doubles!

(8000/2800)

Zane smirked and continued with his move.

"Sure, Power Bond comes with a price… But you won't be around to witness the side effects. Cyber End Dragon… Attack!"

The doppelganger could only smirk. Zane wasted no time at all bringing out the big guns, and now it was time to grind the attack to a halt.

"Go, Draining Shield! With this trap, your attack is negated, and I gain Life Points equal to your Monster's Attack. Too bad."

Light: 12000

Zane cringed, but was half expecting such a maneuver.

"Well, fine. De-Fusion will cut some of those Life Points down to size!

Cyber End Dragon separated, and three Cyber Dragons took its place. All three blasted Zane's doppelganger.

Light: 5700

The doppelganger only sneered as Zane ended his turn.

"Your move. Better make it count."

Zane's Hand: 1

The doppelganger laughed and drew his next card.

"Ha…! If you knew what was coming, you wouldn't be so quick to get this over with. First, I'll activate Polymerization and fuse the three Cyber Dragons in my hand to make MY Cyber End Dragon…

(4000/2800)

The doppelganger pointed directly at the Cyber Dragon in the center.

"Annihilate that Dragon!

Cyber End Dragon took out the Cyber Dragon with ease. Zane gritted his teeth as he took the hit.

Zane: 2100

The doppelganger laughed mockingly as he set a card facedown.

"How's it feel to be done in by your own ace in the hole? Not well, I'd imagine. If you have the will to go on… I welcome your foolish challenge."

Light's Hand: 1

Zane narrowed his eyes at his doppelganger and drew his next card vehemently.

"My move! And I'll activate Photon Generator Unit! By tributing one Cyber Dragon, I'm allowed to summon my Cyber Laser Dragon to take its place!

(2400/1800)

"Then, using its very special ability… I'll wipe out your Cyber End Dragon!

Cyber Laser Dragon shot a laser at Cyber End Dragon, and Cyber End Dragon exploded upon contact.

"Cyber Dragon… Cyber Laser Dragon… Attack him directly!"

Light: 1200

Zane set his last card facedown and smirked. He was going to win this.

Zane's Hand: 0

The doppelganger only laughed maniacally at having the tables turned so quickly. Instead of drawing, the doppelganger activated his facedown card.

"By the power of Cyber Light Rebirth… You shall be reborn! To start, I pay a thousand Life Points. Then, I remove the Cyber End Dragon that was destroyed last turn from the game. And finally… The Cyber Light End Dragon is born! Come forth, my mighty beast!

(5000/2800)

The doppelganger activated one more card. Then he put his hands in his pockets and smirked proudly.

"The instrument to your destruction… stands before you. Of course… This creature is also the instrument that will revive your career as a Pro. You see… As a reward for your future servitude… You will be gifted with a powerful new deck. The Cyber Light deck. The cards were created as a result of the Cyber Dragons coming into contact with the Light. The Light enhanced the Cyber Dragons' power and gifted them with abilities beyond your comprehension. For instance, the Cyber Light End Dragon has the ability to attack every Monster on the field by lowering its Attack strength by 1000. But that's not all… Even though I did not have a deck to call my own, I did possess a card that represents me, the Light: White Veil. With the combination of Cyber Light End Dragon and White Veil… it's all over for you. Observe! Cyber Light End Dragon… Eliminate Zane's Cyber Dragon and Cyber Laser Dragon!"

Two of the heads of the Cyber Light End Dragon began to charge up blasts that would annihilate Zane's two Dragons. The Cyber Light End Dragon powered down to 4000 Attack Points.

Zane thought he was ready to intercept the Attack, however.

"Not so fast! Go Dimensional Prison! This removes a Monster that's declaring an Attack from the game!

Zane's facedown flipped up to reveal that it was Dimensional Prison, but it wasn't activating.

"Wh-Why isn't it…?"

Zane's doppelganger laughed at Zane's confusion. He went onto 'enlighten' Zane.

"Cyber Light End Dragon is protected by me, the Light of Truth. It's wearing a White Veil. I foresaw your attempt at removing MY ace in the hole from the game, and I knew the only way to stop it was if I stepped in. Now whenever Cyber Light End Dragon attacks, it eliminates all spells and traps on your field. All because of White Veil. Like I said: It's over."

Zane gritted his teeth again as the Light hit Cyber Dragon and Cyber Laser Dragon, shattering them upon contact. Zane cried in agony as the Light hit him as well, and his Life Points took more than they could take.

Zane: 0

Zane collapsed upon losing. The last thing he heard was his doppelganger's maniacal fits of laughter…

Zane returned to the Pro Leagues ten days later. During that time, he had been missing, and no one but Seth Phoenix knew where he had gone. When he returned, Zane returned in a big way. He beat more Pros than he had before his record had been broken. He beat twenty Pros in just two weeks. Zane was back, and better than ever.

_-End Flashback-_

"And so… after days of soul searching, Zane returned to the Pros and conquered many a Pro. No Pro but Zane has joined my Society, however. Lorenzo _claimed_ to be for the cause, but we all know how faithful he _really _was… Ever since returning to the Pros, Zane has been inching closer and closer to a 100-win streak. And he will go far beyond that, as he is a dedicated pupil of the Society of Light. So let this be a lesson, my children. Even though you may hit rock bottom, there will always be Light at the end of the tunnel. Only one way to after hitting rock bottom… Up. Now… I have bored you all with this tale long enough. You are all excused… to spread the Light."

The crowd of White students murmured amongst themselves and filed out of the Duel Arena of the White Dorm. Syrus and Bastion remained to talk with Seth. In talking about Zane's trials and tribulations, he didn't tell about Zane's duel with 'himself'. And he didn't leak details about the actual journey into Oneiro. He merely claimed that the ten day journey to Enlightenment was what brought Zane into the Society of Light. He failed to mention that it really only took a night to convert Zane.

Syrus walked up to Master Seth and bowed. Then he looked Seth in the eye.

"So… My brother's in the Society, too? That's good to know. I was wondering what had happened to him…"

Seth ruffled Syrus's blue hair and smiled benevolently.

"Yes… Zane was the first member to join, and he has expressed a desire to see you someday soon. Of course, the quickest and most efficient way to do that was to recruit you into the Society of Light as well. That was partly the reason I had Bastion bring you in. Just so you two could be reunited."

Syrus smiled, relieved. Then he too walked out of the Duel Arena. Only Bastion remained. Seth smiled at Bastion as he just stared at the floor. Bastion had no idea that Zane had to trek such a harsh path to Enlightenment. Still, it encouraged Bastion to remain with the Society. The Light DID hold all the answers, and Zane and his trials and tribulations were physical manifestations of the results that the Light could bring, should one serve loyally and wholeheartedly.

Bastion's eyes suddenly widened as he received a vision. Well, it was more like he just _heard _a vision of the future. He knew it was a vision because he would never be able to think up a verse of a nursery rhyme this quickly, and he had never it before.

_"Tick Tock goes the clock…_

_ We laughed at fate and mourned her…_

_ Tick Tock goes the clock…_

_ Even for Duke Incendia…"_

Bastion blinked in astonishment. He had been given the gift to see the future… in duels. But that snippet of the future didn't seem to come from a duel. In fact… it didn't seem to originate from the future at all. From the sound of it, that rhyme sounded… old.

Bastion caught his Master's attention by the look in his eye. Seth had to chuckle. His most zealous disciple seemed to have been given a special vision of the future, at least going by a cursory check on the boy's mind.

Seth spoke after letting Bastion's vision of the future sink in.

"Bastion… the significance of that vision will come in time. It's surprising such a vision reached you… But then I'm not that surprised. You ARE the most faithful member of the Society… Believe me… If you heard the whole rhyme, you wouldn't have wanted that particular vision of the future. Still, you should feel honored that your psychic abilities are enhancing. Not even Zane has received a vision beyond a vision from a duel. I would advise you to keep these… special… visions from anyone but yourself. I will know everything that you will receive, that goes without saying. I just don't want you to be… laughed at, or labeled insane when you really aren't."

Bastion continued staring into space, barely registering Master Seth's words.

"B-But… What does it mean…?"

Master Seth laughed softly and stood up. He patted Bastion on the shoulder and started to walk away from Bastion.

"You will see… in time. Do not worry about it. The time is almost here…"

Bastion didn't move until Master Seth was long gone. Zane's road to Enlightenment… the vision… it was a lot to take in…

**TBC**

** Cards Featured:**

** Cyber Light Rebirth: Normal Trap Card. Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points. Remove a 'Cyber Dragon', or a fusion card with 'Cyber Dragon' listed in its fusion requirements from your Graveyard. Special Summon a 'Cyber Light' Monster with an equal Level. You may not draw this turn.**

** Cyber Light End Dragon: (5000/2800) Fusion Monster. 8-Stars, Machine, Light-Attribute. Effect: By lowering this Card's Attack by 1000 Points, this Card can attack all Monsters on your Opponent's side of the field this turn. During your End Phase, you can pay 1000 Life Points to raise the Attack of this Card by 1000 Points.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! Long time no update… Ehe… My life's been hectic as of late, and I'm not quite sorted yet. I feel really, really bad about leaving you guys hanging, so I wanted to pump this out now, before next week… Next week's a big mystery for me, 'cause I don't know how much time I'll have for writing… You guys have every right to be angry with me, I DID update a fic for months, after all, and never once updated this. Thing was, though, that fic was just as neglected as this is now. That's the thing about multiple stories at one time, inspiration comes and goes… And that fic's getting neglected, 'cause I've been trying to spend time on this one.**

** Anyway, I'm babbling. Ugh. I'm really, really sorry! I do NOT know when the next update will be, but I promise I'll work on the Field Trip Chapters as much as possible in the coming weeks… I've got a big duel ahead to write for, and it will NOT be short like this one. Thing is, Princess Rose is hard to write for. She only showed up in one episode, and we only know so much of her deck. You'd think I'd want to insert some OC cards here, but I did not. Not even once. That's why I included the 'Next Time' at the end, 'cause there was nothing left to put. And even it doesn't shed too much light on what's to come… I didn't really WANT to spoil much for the coming Chapters. I kinda shouldn't have published this yet, 'cause the new co-author hasn't read it from beginning to end, but I haven't heard from her for a few days. Hence, you're getting this earlier than you maybe should… Nevertheless, starting tomorrow, the days ahead are going to be unpredictable for me. So, in advance, Happy Easter! I'll be updating the Profile shortly… **

** Last note: I'm just getting back into the swing of writing for GX, so bear with me. I hope this update isn't terrible. I'll do my very best to make up for it in Chapter Eight, if this is an embarrassment. Feel free to speak your mind, readers! **

Seth Phoenix sat at his circular table in the White Dorm. Cards were sprawled out on the table facedown, as usual. Seth was shuffling them as he always did. Bastion walked into his Master's Chamber and bowed on one knee.

"Princess Rose has arrived as you requested, sir." Bastion paused. He had been staring at the polished floor as he said this, but now he looked up as he continued. "And… if I may be so bold to ask… Why bring her here now? Weren't we about ready to embark on that surprise Field Trip…?"

Seth chuckled, and he had a dark grin on his face.

"Bastion… Before we can go on a Field Trip, we must determine where we are going… And our opposition won't concede to us until we defeat them in a duel… One duel is all it takes."

Bastion blinked.

"A-Are you sure about that…? What if… they have Jaden duel…? And why can't I be the one to duel for the Society?"

Seth laughed, and his grin grew wider.

"Destiny, Bastion. Princess Rose is destined to duel this time, and it is NOT Jaden who is destined to duel today…"

Bastion frowned and remained on one knee.

"Then… who, Master?"

Seth sighed and stood up. He knew Bastion would be curious, but he would just have to be patient.

"You'll see… Now, if you would be so kind, guide me to our guest's quarters… I need to have a chat with our fair maiden…"

Bastion stood up and led Seth to Princess' Rose quarters…

- At the Slifer Red Dorm -

"BADA BING! Take dat, Dino Boy!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

Hassleberry groaned as his Dark Tyranno was taken down, and the last of his Life Points were depleted. Lorenzo had just beaten him again, and he was not happy about being unable to triumph with his dinos.

"Grr… Just you wait, son! I'll git ya back!" Hassleberry growled and held up a fist. His eyes flashed 'dino' for a split second.

Lorenzo laughed and rubbed his nose with one finger.

"Heh! That'll be the day! I'm da three-time video game Champ! No way lame dinos are gonna beat Lorenzo!"

"Grr! You wanna take this outside, wise-guy?" Hassleberry bared his teeth and took a step closer to Lorenzo, fist still in the air. The eyes flashed dangerously once again.

Lorenzo laughed harder.

"Hehehe! We're already outside, man! But just say where and when, and Lorenzo'll bring his A-game! … And da brains…" Lorenzo snickered.

Hassleberry roared and stomped his foot on the ground. Lorenzo was a new ally, but that didn't mean he had to like him. But if the Sarge trusted Lorenzo, then Hassleberry grudgingly accepted that he could, too.

Chazz rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Dorks…" Chazz mumbled. He had been watching the duels, and so far the outcome had been the same. Hassleberry just kept losing again and again. Jaden had watched each match with growing excitement, but Chazz suspected he knew who would win each and every time. And he had been right so far.

Alexis sighed and continued to stand by Jaden. She, too, watched the matches between Hassleberry and Lorenzo, but she didn't care for the matches, because she thought their time could be spent more wisely. They were good matches, but every day spent like this meant that the White Dorm would be expanded more and more. Not to mention the Blue Dorm SHRANK with every passing day, and Alexis REALLY didn't like seeing THAT. The White Dorm was becoming a very bad infestation at Duel Academy, and Crowler and Bonaparte were NOT helping.

Just as she was about to speak up, Syrus ran up to the group as Hassleberry and Lorenzo deactivated their duel disks to take a breather. He was still wearing a White blazer, signifying his allegiance, and he wasn't winded like he usually was after running.

"Hey, guys. There's an Assembly going on in a few minutes. Master requests your presence, as this announcement will affect the whole school, not just the White Dorm."

And without saying another word or allowing anyone to question him, Syrus ran back to the school. Jaden and everyone else exchanged glances.

Jaden looked downcast and mumbled, "Sy…" He really hated seeing his friend as apart of that Society. Syrus never had time to hang out with them anymore, and he was definitely different from before.

"Ugh. Let's just GO already… The sooner we hear their stupid announcement, the sooner we can beat the crap out of them in a duel…" Chazz muttered and began stalking towards Duel Academy.

Hassleberry raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"You really think they're gonna drag us into another duel?"

Chazz shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"They called us out, didn't they? At least one of us is dueling…"

Lorenzo smirked and ran after Chazz.

"Bada Bing! We can take it! C'mon, guys!"

Jaden eagerly rushed after Lorenzo and Chazz, with Hassleberry right after him. Alexis casually walked after them, albeit a little reluctantly…

- At the White Dorm -

Bastion rapped on Princess Rose's door. The 'Assembly' was going to start soon, and all the White Dorm was told to meet up in the school. Yet, he and Syrus had tasks to complete before joining the rest of their Dorm. It was likely that Syrus had accomplished his task already, urging Jaden and his company to come to the 'Assembly'. That left Bastion to collect Princess Rose and guide her to the school.

"Come, come, Madame… We mustn't keep the Master waiting!" Bastion sighed. Princess Rose had told him to 'wait', because she had to 'put her face on', but that was ten minutes ago. If they didn't hurry, they would be late, and Master Seth loathed to be kept waiting.

"I'm coming already! You can't rush beauty!" Princess Rose snapped on the other side of the door. However, she didn't open it for several more minutes.

Bastion hung his head and groaned.

- At the Main Dueling Arena -

Jaden and co. sat opposite all the White students in the Obelisk Arena. There were other students that were not apart of the White Dorm, but they were few and sparse. Rather than sit next to each other, everyone that wasn't apart of the White Dorm spread apart from one another in the stands, with the exception of Jaden and friends.

When Jaden and the others got to the Arena, they met up with Atticus and Alexis' groupies. Greetings were exchanged, but there was no time for small talk, because Crowler took the stage.

Crowler cleared his throat and stared pointedly at Jaden and his friends.

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin. Took you slackers long enough…" Crowler grumbled.

Bonaparte, who stood by Crowler as per usual, snatched the mic from him and grinned.

"We'll be going on a field trip tomorrow! Everyone be packed and ready to go! Boat leaves at 8AM sharp!"

Crowler smacked Bonaparte upside the head and growled lowly as he snatched the mic back from Bonaparte.

"Shorty… I was supposed to announce that!"

Bonaparte rolled his eyes and smirked up at Crowler.

"I don't remember Master saying that specifically. Master said to gather everyone and announce the field trip. Who died and made you queen, anyway?"

Crowler seethed and said nothing more. After all, Seth didn't even say where they were going. Crowler didn't even think to dismiss everyone, so they just sat in the stands, murmuring to one another.

"Oh? Speechless already, Abaddon?" Bonaparte snickered.

Crowler twitched.

"Can it, Shorty! You're still the Vice Principal!"

Bonaparte laughed and shook his head.

"I may be Vice Principal, but you're not the one in charge anymore! Remember your place, Crowler!" Bonaparte ended with a glare.

Crowler glared back, and they both forgot where they were…

"Field Trip? Why'd they spring this all of a sudden?" Chazz wondered aloud to himself.

Atticus, Mindy, and Jasmine nodded in agreement, but said nothing. Hassleberry frowned and crossed his arms as he slumped in his seat.

"Whatever the reason, it can't be good…"

Lorenzo shrugged and smirked.

"Well, whatev. J-Man and I can take whateva they t'row! Bada Bing!"

Hassleberry growled and held up a fist at Lorenzo. His eyes flashed dangerously yet again.

"Get this through your thick skull, Private… I'M Jaden's Wingman, and I'll be doin' the tacklin' with him!"

Lorenzo just laughed in response, which only served to anger Hassleberry more. In fact, the eyes stayed dino for a few minutes, rather than flash back to his regular eyes after a few seconds. Chazz scoffed at their quarreling. While all this was going on, Jaden appeared excited.

"I wonder where we're goin'… Hope it's somewhere cool, fun, and exciting!" Jaden exclaimed.

Alexis frowned and shook her head.

"I dunno, J… The Society of Light sprang this on us, so it can't be good… They could've gone without us, but they decided that we should come along, too…"

Jaden quirked an eyebrow.

"Huh? But aren't Crowler and Bonaparte in charge of the school…?" Jaden crossed his arms and struck a thoughtful pose. Then a wave of realization hit him. "Oh…! That's right, they're apart of the Society of Light, huh? Okay, it can be bad, if they get to choose where to go… Darn."

Jaden and his friends were snapped out of their reverie by Crowler's high-pitched scream. When they looked at the Arena, Seth was standing beside Crowler, arms crossed, and looking at Jaden directly. Apparently, he had surprised Crowler by suddenly standing there, though it actually wasn't all THAT hard to scare Crowler.

Bonaparte snickered at Crowler's shriek of terror.

"Some Principal…"

Crowler growled and glared down at Bonaparte. Seth ignored them both.

"Jaden… The destination of this Field Trip rides on one duel. Are you up to the task of defeating our representative…?" Seth questioned, an eyebrow arched.

Jaden raised a fist at Seth and nodded, determination in his eyes.

"You bet I am! Who's it gonna be? I'm itchin' for a duel!"

Seth chuckled, and that bothered Alexis. Alexis turned to Jaden.

"J, you sure about this? I think I'd better duel. I mean, the last time your life was at risk…" Alexis spoke concernedly.

Jaden turned to Alexis and raised an eyebrow.

"You sure, 'Lex? I can totally take whoever they throw! … Which isn't to say you can't, but… I wanna go somewhere for this Field Trip, and… the only way I can get us to go there…"

Alexis smiled and shook her head.

"You wanna go to Domino, right? Don't worry, J, I'll win and get us there." Alexis assured him.

Jaden shrugged and turned back to Seth. He moved his hands to his mouth so he could holler at Seth.

"Hey! Change of plans! Alexis is gonna duel! Is that okay?" Jaden asked.

Seth chuckled again and closed his eyes.

"Certainly, Jaden. In fact, I anticipated that she wanted to duel. We're in for quite a duel." Seth turned to get off the Arena, and he motioned for Bonaparte to follow him. Stopping mid-stride, Seth said, "Crowler, you are to be the referee for the duel. Alexis' opponent should be here momentarily."

Crowler blinked as Seth got off the Arena stage, with Bonaparte right behind him. Bonaparte momentarily turned back to Crowler to give him a glare, because Master chose Crowler to referee, and then Bonaparte hopped off the stage. Crowler ignored him.

"B-But, sir… Are you serious about turning this into a duel…? What if Alexis wins?"

Seth chuckled and began making his way to his mobile throne, which was situated in the center of all the White students.

"I know the outcome already, Crowler. You need not worry. Do your job."

Alexis finally got up on the stage and began shuffling her deck. Before Crowler could say anything more, Bastion ran into the room and motioned for everyone to turn their attention to the corridor that he had just ran out of.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize for the delay! But now, I beseech you to direct your gaze to the lovely Princess Rose, the representative for our grand Society in this duel!"

Everyone's eyes fell upon the beauty that entered the room as Bastion proudly proclaimed this. Rose had silvery hair with two long bangs on either side of her face and gray eyes. She wore a Princess tiara with a red jewel embedded in the front and a sapphire blue dress with white ruffles at the bottom of it. When all guys caught a glimpse of her, they went gaga. Some even started drooling.

Alexis frowned and inserted her deck into her duel disk. This 'Princess Rose' was definitely a favorite, at least among the boys. Still, that wouldn't keep Alexis from sweeping the floor with Rose.

Princess Rose took the stage and took her Duel Disk, which Bastion held up to her while kneeling on one knee. After she turned her Duel Disk on, Rose said, "So, you're supposed to be some big Pro, or something? Not impressed."

Alexis shook her head and activated her Duel Disk.

"Nope, I'm just a student here at Duel Academy. I'm an Obelisk Blue, and proud of it!"

Princess Rose shrugged.

"Whatev. Look, I don't mean to be mean or anything, but I'm special and you're, like, not, okay? I can talk to Monster Spirits! My Princes will protect me and bring me victory!"

Alexis frowned and didn't give a retort. She didn't have a right to say that Rose couldn't see Monster Spirits, because she herself couldn't. Jaden could, though. And if Rose was as strong as Jaden was in a duel, then this would be a tough fight. Alexis liked a challenge, however.

Jaden scratched the side of his head and squinted really hard at Princess Rose and her immediate surroundings. He didn't see any Spirits. Turning to Chazz, he said, "Hey, Chazz? You see anything?"

Chazz shook his head and squinted just as hard as Jaden.

"… Nope. Either they're not out at the moment, or she's lying."

Ojama Yellow appeared besides Chazz and did a little jig.

"What kinda Spirits do you think she has, Boss…? Something big and strong, like me?"

Chazz growled and punched the air where the Spirit hovered.

"If her Spirit is as lame as you, she won't be much of a problem for Lexi…

Once the Spirit had dissipated, Chazz cheered for Alexis as he comically pulled out a sign that stated, in bright pink letters, 'Lexi's #1!'

"C'mon, Lexi! You can do this, I KNOW you can!"

Alexis ignored Chazz's cheers and picked up her first five cards.

"So, you ready to duel or what…?"

Princess Rose yawned and picked up her first five cards as well.

"Sure, whatev. This'll be over real quick, and then I can go back to reading the Frog Prince!"

Alexis frowned again and even growled a little. But before she could retort, Crowler held up his hands defensively and gave a cheesy grin.

"N-Now, Ladies! Save it for the Duel! Begin!"

Alexis muttered, "Gladly…"

- Duel! -

Alexis: 4000

Rose: 4000

"Like, royalty first!" Rose declared as she drew her sixth card. She looked contemplative for a few seconds, and then she summoned a creature in Attack Mode. "First, I'll go with this little cutie! T.A.D.P.O.L.E.!

(0/0)

A large and, in Rose's eyes, cute tadpole materialized onto the field. It undulated as it floated in midair. Rose smirked and crossed her arms.

"Like, your turn!"

Everyone blinked and stared at Rose's move. There didn't appear to be a rhyme or reason to her just bringing out a tadpole. Jaden and friends were confused, to say the least. Jaden wished that Bastion was on their side, so he could explain what Princess Rose was planning. But alas, Bastion sided with the Society of Light, and wouldn't be in the mood to enlighten outsiders to the Society's representative's strategy.

… But if Jaden had been sitting next to Bastion, he would be surprised that Bastion knew nothing of Rose's strategy, even as an 'esteemed' member of the Society of Light.

Bastion, who was sitting to the right of Seth, turned to his Master and raised an eyebrow.

"M-Master? Just what is that girl thinking?"

Seth chuckled and entwined his fingers in his lap. He gave Bastion no answer as he eagerly watched the duel unfold.

"…"

Rose: 4000

Rose's Hand: 5

Alexis scowled and drew her sixth card. The weak Monster was obviously a trap, but Rose made a mistake: She put it in Attack Mode. Alexis hated to spring such an obvious trap, but if she could strike a major blow now, then the duel could be over in a couple of moves. Looking at her hand, Alexis saw she had the cards to do just that.

"Okay! First, I'm going to play Polymerization and fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater to form Cyber Blader!

(2100/800)

"Then… I'll summon Cyber Tutu!" Staring straight at Rose, Alexis continued, "You ready for this? Cyber Tutu! Destroy her T.A.D.P.O.L.E.! Cyber Blader, you go in for the direct attack!"

Cyber Tutu flew into the air and came down hard on T.A.D.P.O.L.E. The creature perished upon contact, and Cyber Blader elegantly charged at Princess Rose, dealing massive damage.

Rose: 900

Alexis smirked, but her confidence dissipated when Princess Rose spoke up.

"Owww! Well, since you destroyed T.A.D.P.O.L.E., I guess I'll just have to use his Special Ability! Whenever my little cutie's destroyed, I get the other two cuties from my deck and add them to my hand! Not a bad Ability, huh?"

Alexis shook her head and crossed her arms.

"… Fine. Your move."

Alexis: 4000

Alexis' Hand: 2

Princess Rose laughed and drew her next card.

"Like, omigosh! I can totally do this!" Rose giggled and activated a Spell card. "I have a Polymerization, too! And I'm fusing the three Des Frogs in my hand to make D.3.S. Frog! The hunk of my deck!"

(2500/2000)

A gargantuan frog materialized behind Princess Rose, and it did not look friendly. Because the frog was facing away from the Society of Light, they didn't recoil in shock and fear of the revolting creature.

Hassleberry held up an arm defensively and twitched.

"Get my bib! It's BBQ time!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

Lorenzo shook his head. His eyes bulged.

"Mamma mia! Glad I'm not duelin' right now!"

Chazz twitched and didn't say a thing. Alexis' groupies clung to Atticus, and Atticus breathed, "Whoa."

Jaden was the only one who seemed EXCITED at the sight of the Monster.

"Aw, man! 'Lex is sooo lucky! Now THAT'S a Monster!"

Everyone went bug-eyed at Jaden as he said that. He had to be nuts! On the other side of the room, the Society seemed content that Rose was making up for her last move, though Seth already knew every move there was to come.

While everyone guffawed and admired Rose's creature, Alexis smirked.

"Well, now's a good time to mention this… Since you have one Monster out, my Monster gets a Special Ability. Namely, it cannot be destroyed in battle. No matter how hard you try, you CAN'T."

Princess Rose shrugged and pointed at Cyber Tutu.

"Well… Guess I'll just have to destroy the weaker one then, huh? D.3.S. Frog, my Knight in Shining Armor, make the, like, ditzy ballerina go bye-bye!"

D.3.S. Frog opened its gigantic mouth and unleashed a very long tongue that latched onto Cyber Tutu and reeled it into its mouth. That was it for Cyber Tutu, as it was savagely swallowed and digested. Alexis cringed.

Alexis: 2500

Princess Rose finished her move looking smug.

"Like, your turn! Make it count, 'cause I'm totally gonna take you out!"

Rose: 900

Rose's Hand: 4

Alexis drew her next card. There appeared to be nothing that she could do at the moment, but at least she still possessed Cyber Blader, who made an excellent shield, for now. At the same time, putting Cyber Blader in Defense Mode probably wouldn't be a wise move, at least at this point. Rose could summon another Creature next turn, and that would be the end for Cyber Blader. Taking damage wouldn't be easy, but what choice did she have?

"Okay… I'm setting one card facedown and ending my turn." Alexis stated as she did just that.

Alexis: 2500

Alexis' Hand: 2

Princess Rose drew her next card and laughed gleefully.

"Omigosh! I can totally play Foolish Burial! With it, I'll send one of my Treeborn Frogs to the Graveyard! Then, I'll send the other two that are in my deck to the Grave with my Flute of Hammelin Spell Card! Get this, if any Monster was sent to the Graveyard this turn, then the rest are, like, sent to the Graveyard, too. If you have any, they'd be sent there, too, but I doubt YOU have any, like, total cuties!"

Alexis snorted.

"And… what's the point of ditching your Monsters like this…?"

Princess Rose sighed exasperatedly.

"Ugh! The point is this: For every Treeborn Frog in the Grave, my total hunk, D.3.S. Frog gets 500 additional points! Cool, huh?

(4000/2000)

"Anyway, time to devastate your Life Points! D.3.S. Frog, Attack!"

Alexis scowled again. Rose was a little too presumptuous. On the other hand, with such a strong creature, why wouldn't she be?

"Not so fast! Hallowed Life Barrier saves my Life Points, if I just discard one card! Also, Cyber Blader remains in play because you still only possess one Monster! Your Attack was useless!"

Alexis discarded one card from her hand, and it was Rose's turn to scowl.

"Like, whatever! I can totally beat you on my next turn!"

Princess Rose pouted and ended her turn.

Jaden and co. all heaved a sigh of relief when Rose's turn ended. Things really took a turn for the worse when Rose made her Monster's strength four grand, and they could only hope that Alexis turned it all around on her next turn.

Bastion was sitting on the edge of his seat. He was very pleased with how the duel was turning out, and he fervently hoped that Princess Rose COULD finish the duel on her next turn.

Seth just smirked at his disciple's increasing excitement.

"She will finish the duel on her next turn… And it will be quite the finish."

Bastion blinked and quickly turned to face his Master.

"Master, just what is the outcome…?"

Seth chuckled and crossed his arms.

"You'll see…"

Rose: 900

Rose's Hand: 3

Alexis rolled her eyes.

_Well… That D.3.S. Frog just needs a few more points, and it COULD KO me… Though in its current state, I'm looking at a two-hit KO… So if I don't do something now, I'm done for. C'mon, give me something…_

Alexis beamed at the card she drew.

_Yes… That'll do._

"I play De-Fusion! It lets me de-fuse one Fusion Monster, and I choose that grotesque D.3.S. Frog!"

Princess Rose gasped as D.3.S. Frog broke into three Des Frogs. The three frogs hopped to the front of Rose and stared in Alexis' direction.

"Take that back! D.3.S. Frog was a HOTTIE! Oh well, Jeffrey, Roosevelt, and Percival can finish the job!" Princess Rose fiercely proclaimed.

(1900/0 x 3)

Alexis twitched. She gave her three frogs names?

"Anyway… Now that they're weaker, I can take them out one at a time. Cyber Blader, destroy the center Des Frog!"

Princess Rose wailed, "ROOOOSEVELT!" as the Des Frog was impaled by Cyber Blader's heel.

Rose: 700

Alexis sighed and shook her head.

"And now that you possess two Monsters, Cyber Blader's Attack Points double. Looks like the duel could be over next turn."

(4200/800)

With that, Alexis ended her turn. It was all she could do.

Alexis: 2500

Alexis' Hand: 1

Princess Rose chewed her bottom lip and growled.

"Well, it's next turn… And I'm gonna beat you for not only insulting my hottie, but also for destroying Roosevelt!" Rose continued after drawing her next card. She smirked upon seeing the card. "Look out! I've got a totally tubular card, and it's called Amphibian Angel! By sacrificing Jeffrey and Percival, I can use Amphibian Angel's totally rad Special Ability! Y'know all those frogs you've insulted? Well, they're all, 'We're back!'"

(1400/800, 1900/0 x 3, 4000/2000)

Rose continued smirking as not only the three Des Frogs appeared, but D.3.S. Frog as well. And now that Rose possessed five Monsters, Cyber Blader had no Special Ability for Alexis to rely on. Alexis cringed.

"This is the end…" Alexis muttered to herself.

"I don't believe it! HOW could she beat my LEXIII?" Chazz wailed and slumped in his seat.

Lorenzo went bug-eyed again and said, "Not even I could get outta dat, not with dose cards!"

Hassleberry nodded in affirmation.

"Poor 'Lex…" Hassleberry muttered as tears began streaming down his face.

Atticus chewed his thumb nail and looked worried.

"Guys… What if she gets brainwashed…? She IS facing a representative of that Society…"

Jaden's eyes bulged and he stood up in fear.

"ALEXIS! No!" Jaden cried, knowing it was futile.

Princess Rose shrugged and sighed.

"You put up a fight, I guess… But nobody gets away with bad-mouthing my hunks! NOBODY! First, my hunk, D.3.S. Frog is gonna take out your Cyber Blader. Then, all my other hotties are gonna attack you in a combined assault! Just so no one's left out! 'Kay? ATTACK!"

Alexis shielded herself as D.3.S. Frog let out its unnaturally long tongue again and pulled Cyber Blader into it, and as the other frogs hopped towards her to attack her. She couldn't believe she lost, when victory was so close.

Alexis: 0

Rose: 700

A dust cloud had been kicked up with that combined attack. When the dust settled, Alexis was sprawled across the stage, and Princess Rose's frogs were dematerializing. Feeling no sympathy for the one who insulted her 'boyfriends', Rose huffed and stalked off the stage, not even waiting for Crowler to announce the winner. Crowler stood speechless in the center of the stage.

Seth stood up and applauded Princess Rose. Bastion followed suit, and Syrus and Bonaparte immediately after him. Then the Society of Light stood up as a whole and gave their applause. Crowler was the last to join in, but he was as joyous as everyone else. Even the few non-Society members, outside of Jaden and his friends, stood up and applauded before Crowler. Jaden and the gang were the only ones to not join the applause. They had a friend to tend to.

One by one, Jaden, Hassleberry, Lorenzo, Chazz, Atticus, Mindy, and Jasmine made their way to Alexis' side. As they were doing this, Crowler cleared his throat and spoke into the mic.

"Ah, what a stunning duel to watch! But in the end, the Society of Light proved triumphant! And now, Master Seth will announce where we shall be going!"

Chazz growled and glared daggers at Crowler.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? What about Alexis?"

Seth, who somehow silently and swiftly made his way from his transportable throne to the arena stage in mere seconds, answered Chazz's query.

"You need not worry for your friend, Chazz… She is merely asleep, and she remains with you. Unfortunately, I needed to confirm whether Princess Rose was truly for the Society, and this duel proved that she wasn't. Rose is, sadly, a naïve girl who chooses to spend her time reading the same fairytale over and over again, rather than worship the Light. But… enough about Princess Rose.

Seth gestured for Crowler to give the mic to him, and Crowler obliged.

"Now then… This duel decided where we would go, and, in the end, the Society of Light triumphed. As the proud leader, I am honored to announce that we will be making our way to the town of Oneiro tomorrow morn… As Bonaparte stated, be ready to go by 8AM sharp. And Jaden…" Seth glanced at Jaden.

Jaden glanced back at Seth, and he narrowed his eyes a little, still upset about Alexis getting hurt.

"What…?" Jaden said exasperatedly.

Seth chuckled and smiled.

"Be ready to be tested… This trip will prove once and for all who you are. I look forward greatly to how the trip will turn out, not even I can predict what will happen…" Seth continued to chuckle even as he handed the mic back to Crowler. He walked away without explaining anything more…

**Next Time: Ghost Town or Glimmering Utopia? The Phantom Town of Oneiro!**

** "Hey, J, what do you suppose this Oneiro place is like?"**

** "No thanks, I'd rather stick around here at Duel Academy, rather than go wherever that psycho Seth Phoenix wants to go… He may have been my manager, but I know his true colors now!"**

** "Master, what is significant about having Jaden's Test here, of all places?"**

** "Bastion, I am relying on you to guide Jaden and his friends to this designated location. Let them wander until the preparations are complete, but make sure that they get to the castle…"**

** "Whoa! This wasn't what I was expecting!" **


	8. Chapter 8

**So, we've finally reached the Field Trip Arc… I will admit, the first two Chapters contain no duels whatsoever. The Chapters contain, more or less, Jaden's exploration of Oneiro. The remaining Chapters of the Field Trip… are mostly duel. A single duel, between Jaden and Duke Incendia. You'll be learning more about him soon enough. Unfortunately, this is the last update I'll be able to squeeze in for a while. I'll be away from June 3rd until mid-July. I hate to break up the Field Trip arc like this – being unable to 'air' the episodes back to back – but I've no choice in the matter here. I wanted to give you guys one more update before I took my leave for a month and a half, so… here you are. Apologies if it's 'too' rushed, I'll make up for it next Chapter. There's a lot of info to disclose... And, yes, 'Oneiro' and its plot are not completely my own - rather, it was inspired and plays fairly close to a certain game's plot. But I hope you'll enjoy the arc, all the same. Anyway, enough from me, on with Chapter Eight. **

Storm clouds surrounded Duel Academy on the dawn of the new day. Today was the day. The Field Trip to Oneiro. The beginning of the end for Jaden Yuki, or so Seth Phoenix predicted.

The Society of Light was currently boarding their cruise ship. Seth Phoenix and Bastion stood a distance from the ship, and waited and watched as students got on in an orderly, single file line.

Turning to his master, Bastion asked, "So… This is where it all begins, sir?"

Seth smiled and closed his eyes.

"The downfall of Jaden Yuki all begins at Oneiro… If he is not the Chosen One, then he and his friends… Well… You'll just have to see when we get there… But, if he is the Chosen One… Then Jaden Yuki will fall on another day. Even if he is the One… I will not allow Jaden to change Destiny… I will stop him myself, if necessary… Fate declares that Jaden Yuki will fall, and I will enforce that sentence by any means…"

Bastion made a determined face as he looked beyond the cruise ship and the stormy weather.

"I will not let you down, Master… I will make certain that it doesn't have to come to you, to finish Jaden off… I will do it myself, if I have to…"

Seth gave a chuckle and opened his eyes.

"Do not make promises that you cannot keep… You are strong, Bastion, but you have much to learn…"

Bastion frowned, but didn't give a reply. He was determined to prove himself to Seth, even if Master said he had 'much to learn'…

Jaden and his friends were ready, as they boarded their much smaller ship - some more begrudgingly than others.

"I don't like this…" Chazz grumbled. He stared enviously at the cruise ship that the Society of Light got to ride to their field trip destination. "WHY THE HECK DO THEY GET TO TRAVEL IN STYLE?"

Chazz finished angrily. Alexis sighed exasperatedly. She thought that, maybe, Chazz had sensed something wrong was going to happen on the field trip, but ended up getting her hopes up. Jaden, Hassleberry, and Lorenzo were actually pumped for the trip, despite not knowing quite where they were going, and Atticus was nonchalant about it. Yes, the Society obviously had sinister reasons for wanting to go where they wanted to go, but Atticus that they would be alright, as he had faith that their dueling skills would get them out of any jam.

Jaden was one of the last few to get on the boat. He spotted Aster hanging around the boats, but he wasn't getting on either of them, so Jaden decided to walk over and see what was up.

"Hey, Aster! Ya stoked for the big field trip?" Jaden questioned perkily.

Aster snorted, and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, right. You want me to go where a psychopath has some 'test' prepared, just for you? And then you want me to rely on you to pass that test? No thanks, I'm not taking any chances with this 'field trip'. I'll stick around here at Duel Academy."

Jaden blinked and scratched the side of his face.

"But… he's your manager, isn't he? Don't you trust your manager?"

Aster laughed.

"WAS my manager. Don't tell me YOU trust him, Jaden. He's turned your friends against you, hasn't he? Haven't you seen his true colors by now? I have."

Jaden crossed his arms and contemplated the point.

"Well, I guess he has… And he has tried to eliminate us a few times…"

Aster nodded.

"Exactly! I'm pretty sure this is another one of those times, Jaden. You might be better off staying here, too."

Jaden shook his head and frowned.

"No… That's not an option. 'Lex, Chazz, Lorenzo, and Hassleberry are going, and I don't want them getting hurt… Besides, how can I pass up a challenge? Seth might be untrustworthy and all that, but my deck'll trump any duelist he throws my way."

Aster rolled his eyes, but smirked nonetheless.

"You have had a knack of throwing a wrench into his plans… Guess we'll know in a couple days' time."

Jaden nodded and laughed.

"Guess so!"

Hassleberry ran up to Jaden and Aster and ran in place.

"Sergeant Jaden, we gotta double-time it! The Society's boat's about to set sail!"

Jaden jumped back a little, but nodded.

"Woops! Better get goin'! See ya later, Aster!" With that, Jaden and Hassleberry dashed to their boat, where Lorenzo was waiting for them.

Aster shook his head and sighed.

"I hope I do, J… I hope I do…"

- YU-GI-OH GX! -

It took about three hours for the Society of Light to reach their field trip's destination. Despite having to go through a thick wall of fog, Seth Phoenix managed to guide the boat to the tiny, old port that they sought. The port looked like it had been unused in decades, and fog hung around the place heavily.

When the Society of Light disembarked, they did so in an orderly single-file line, like when they boarded their boat. Seth and Bastion were the last to get off, and Bastion turned to his Master to pose a question before disembarking.

"Is this really the place, Master? What is significant about testing Mr. Yuki in such a rundown place?"

Seth chuckled.

"Bastion… That would ruin the suspense. Savor the mystery while it lasts. Now, I have a very important task for you, Mr. Misawa."

Bastion blinked.

"Y-Yes, Master?"

Seth motioned for Bastion to disembark with him, and then he proceeded with giving Bastion his task.

"I have an errand or two to take care of before the main event, and I need Jaden and his friends occupied. And they will be, believe me. I will know every little thing they do in this… wonderful… city. But, your task is not to tail them around and report to me. There will be no need for that. Rather, I need you to guide Mr. Yuki and his friends to Incendia Castle. Just let them wander around Oneiro for a couple of hours – two hours should give us ample time to prepare, but please, do feel free to let them 'investigate' to their hearts' content. I have a feeling that this place will capture your curiosity as well, so enjoy yourself. Just make sure you all make it to the Castle, eventually…"

Bastion blinked.

"Y-You're letting the enemy roam freely? Whatever for?"

Seth gave Bastion a harsh stare, but sighed, eventually, and eased his gaze.

"Bastion, if we kept 'the enemy' holed up somewhere, they would be focused on breaking out of whatever prison we put them in, and finding the Society of Light, and ruining the 'surprise.' I am certain that this way is safest – they won't head to the Castle right away. The Castle is absolutely off-limits for the first two hours of us being here. Do I make myself clear…?"

Bastion nodded and hung his head a bit; ashamed he made Master Seth even slightly cross.

"Yes, sir…"

With that, Seth walked away from Bastion and made his way to the front of the line of Society members. Then he led them into Oneiro, and out of the fog that clung around the port.

Bastion was left alone to his thoughts now, and he looked out to the sea, even if visibility was very low. His thoughts drifted to Alexis, and her not joining the Society of Light upon losing to Princess Rose.

_Alexis… I apologize that you were not recruited into the Society… But mark my words, you WILL be recruited someday soon… Your talents are wasted on Jaden… You will be acknowledged as the top notch duelist that you are… But only when you become an elite member of the Society of Light…_

And with those final thoughts, Bastion walked away from the port to get a good look at Oneiro for himself…

Jaden and co. reached Oneiro's port about five minutes after the Society docked their ship. They had lost sight of the Society's ship a few times while making their way through the heavy fog, but they did, eventually, arrive. Upon arriving, Alexis couldn't help but notice how ancient the port looked. Other than their boat and the Society's boat, no other boats were moored there. Any metal that could be seen was clearly rusty, and the air itself was deathly quiet. The water, and those that arrived in the second boat, were the only sources of noise there at the port.

Chazz grabbed a railing and got a good look at the port.

"Whoa… You sure we got the right place?"

Hassleberry shook a fist and cried irritably, "Of COURSE we 'got the right place', Private Princeton! The enemy's docked here, and it's obvious they've gone ahead!" Hassleberry motioned to the Society's boat, which was now devoid of life.

Lorenzo shuddered after seeing how abandoned the port looked.

"Whew… This place gives me the willies! Maybe they've got the wrong place! BADABING!"

Alexis shook her head and pointed to a very aged and faded wooden signpost not too far away.

"No… That clearly says 'Oneiro'. This is definitely where Seth Phoenix wanted us to be… But why we're here is beyond me…"

Jaden shrugged and gave a wide grin as he pumped his fist into the air.

"Oh, well! I say we check the place out! Can't be creepier than the Abandoned Dorm, right guys?"

Alexis shuddered.

"Ugh… Jaden, this place COULD be just as creepy… But Bastion and Sy are out there, so turning back isn't an option…"

Jaden nodded and maintained his happy-go-lucky grin.

"Right! Let's go!"

Jaden was about to dash off ahead of everyone else, but was held back by Hassleberry.

"Sarge, we need to stick together. I think I speak for all of us when I say this place is mighty creepy… Who KNOWS what'll happen to us in an abandoned place like this…?"

Lorenzo nodded.

"Stick together, J-Man… No reason to split up and lose one o' our own!"

Jaden pouted.

"Aw, you guys are no fun…" Jaden sighed and continued, "But… Okay, we'll stick together… I just wanna check this place out! It totally looks cool!"

Everyone groaned. Jaden didn't see this place as suspicious at ALL. In pairs, they all disembarked and made their way to the abandoned ticket station, which was up a flight of stairs. There were some pictures of the Town of Oneiro in the ticket station, and everyone took time to look at each and every picture. The pictures were in color, but it was pretty evident that the pictures were dated. Very dated. The bricks of the brick roads looked like they were just laid in the pictures, and the buildings weren't anything like the 'modern' buildings of the present. Some people could be seen in the photographs, and they were definitely wearing different attire, such as poof-y dresses and older suits and tuxes.

Once they were about halfway through the ticket station and had gotten an eyeful of all the photographs of Oneiro, everyone's sight got blurry, and there seemed to be a bizarre flash of light. Everyone happened to close their eyes for just a moment. When they opened their eyes again, simultaneously, and got an eyeful of the present-day Town of Oneiro…

Jaden laughed.

"WHOOOAAA! This wasn't what I was expecting!"

Eerily, the Town looked exactly like it did in the photographs that everyone took notice of only moments ago. Not even the tiniest of differences was in sight. And there was no fog to speak of whatsoever. There were dazzling lights everywhere, and the Town had a festive look about it. A statue of a man that seemed vaguely familiar to Jaden and friends was situated in the center of a plaza, of which they were now standing in. Suddenly, everyone wasn't so much spooked as they were awed by the 'Glimmering Utopia of Oneiro.' A banner that said 'Welcome to the Glimmering Utopia of Oneiro' hung over the plaza that they were currently in, and no one seemed to have any objections to the title. Oneiro was a dazzling spectacle to be sure, and it seemed to be even more beautiful since it was nighttime.

"… Wait." Alexis frowned. "It's not even noon yet… So how can it be dark…?"

Everyone that hadn't noticed that oddity looked up and noticed the sky WAS dark.

Jaden scratched the side of his face again.

"… Huh. Well, no time like the present! Let's go explore!"

Hassleberry rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"We'll cover more ground if we split up… I get to be the Sarge's wingman!" Hassleberry grinned cheekily and stood by Jaden's side.

Lorenzo growled and shook a fist at Hassleberry.

"Oi, Military-Dino-Wannabe, I get to split off with J-Man, capice?"

Hassleberry growled back, and his eyes flashed Dino for a split second.

"Know your place, son…! I AM the Sarge's second-in-command!"

Alexis sighed and shook her head.

"… Look. Maybe it'll be better if we split off into groups of three. You, Lorenzo, and Jaden can be one group. I guess I'll go with Atti, and…"

Chazz clasped his hands together and sighed contentedly.

"AND ME! Oh, Lexi, I just KNEW I'd like going on this field trip…!"

Alexis' eyes widened, and she growled irritably. She knew she had no other choice, here. Jasmine and Mindy opted to stay behind at Duel Academy, like a few other students.

"Fine, Chazz… But no flirting.

Chazz pouted, but brightened again instantly, as he still got to walk around with 'Lexi' anyway. Alexis turned her attention back to the statue, and gave it a contemplative stare.

"I guess we can start our 'investigation' there… I'm a little curious as to whom that man is, and what he means to Oneiro. He looks a lot like Seth Phoenix, but he's obviously a different man. The man depicted looks… older, anyway."

Atticus rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah… I can see the resemblance… But you're right, they just HAVE to be two totally different people. If that WAS Seth Phoenix, he'd be as old as Kagemaru, am I right?"

Alexis shrugged.

"We don't even know how old this Town is, Atti. It MIGHT not be so old, but those photographs back in the ticket station tell me otherwise… We need to investigate this place. I only hope we can find answers…"

Jaden pumped his fist into the air again excitedly, and cheered, "Alright! Exploration time!"

- YU-GI-OH GX! -

The two groups walked together farther into Town, and broke off fairly quickly. There were some shops early on, and Alexis, Chazz, and Atticus checked out those, while Jaden, Hassleberry, and Lorenzo moved further in, in the hopes of finding something 'juicier'.

The first shop Alexis' group set foot into was an antique shop. All sorts of knick-knacks, vases, and lamps lined the shelves. Some furniture was also lying about the shop, just begging to be bought.

It didn't take long to find the only other person in the store, the store owner himself. He was a kindly-looking, older gentleman, wearing dress pants and a red sweater, which made him seem kind of average. He wore glasses, and he seemed delighted to have company.

"Ah, welcome! Come in, come in! Is there anything particular you're looking for, or do you need any assistance?"

Alexis smiled at the older gentleman.

"Well, this all looks very nice… But we're just here to ask a few questions, if you don't mind answering them. They're mostly about this Town… Oneiro…"

The gentleman chuckled and straightened his glasses on his face.

"Ah, tourists, I see… Well, I would be delighted to answer any questions that I can."

Alexis nodded.

"Thank you… Um… First off, when we first came into Oneiro, there was this statue of a man…"

The gentleman clasped his hands together and smiled warmly.

"That would be Duke Incendia. He was the Hero of Oneiro – that's why we dedicated a statue to him, after all." It was at this point that the gentleman frowned thoughtfully. "Unfortunately… I don't seem to remember why he is remembered as a Hero… It's been so long, that I've forgotten… I'm sure if you'll ask another citizen of our fair Town, you'll get a reason… I just… can't seem to remember. Now, what else about Oneiro piques your curiosity? I'm sure you would like to know much more!"

Alexis smiled sheepishly.

"Well…"

While Alexis, Chazz, and Atticus got to know more about Oneiro, Jaden and his group found themselves in the 'slums' of Oneiro. They passed the 'dazzling' parts without a second thought, because they wanted to find something 'different', and begin their investigation there. This led them to a gruff-looking man hanging around what appeared to be a rundown house, located far north from the pier that they arrived at.

"That guy looks like he might know somethin'!" Jaden grinned and ran right over to the stout man eagerly. Lorenzo and Hassleberry were a little hesitant, but they came over, as well. Jaden addressed the man. "Hey, mister!"

The stout man, clad in a black coat and pants, and an orange shirt underneath the coat, wore a brown hat. He appeared to be in poverty, if the house was his and indicated his current state of affairs at all. The man scratched his ear and frowned.

"Name's Hank, kid… Waddaya want?"

Jaden rubbed his chin.

"Well, I was just wonderin'… Why do ya look so glum? Isn't Oneiro somethin'?"

Hank sighed, took off his hat briefly and ran his hand through his hair, and then placed his hat back on his head.

"I guess it's kinda… uh… what's the word…? 'Sparkly'…"

Jaden bounced up and down.

"Yeah, yeah! So why're ya down in the dumps?"

Hank shrugged and rubbed his nose.

"Well, I live here for one… And second… uh… I guess I… kinda lost my job… It paid real well, too…"

Jaden stopped jumping up and down.

"Oh… I'm sorry. But you can get another one, right?"

Lorenzo and Hassleberry remained silent throughout all this. Neither of them knew quite what to say.

Hank scratched the back of his head and frowned.

"You tourists or somethin'…? I guess I can find another… uh… job… But everyone got laid off. Meaning it's the end, pal! No point in seeking other jobs now!"

Jaden scratched the back of his head.

"The end? Waddaya talkin' about?"

Hank's frowned deepened.

"I'm talkin' about the mines! They're shuttin' 'em down! Oneiro depends on them mines! Without 'em, Oneiro's gonna die… in a matter of days… Oneiro's on its last legs, and it doesn't even know it…"

Jaden frowned, crossed his arms, and tilted his head.

"So… mines shutting down is bad. Oookay… But I'm sure the Town'll pull through somehow, right?"

Hank sighed and shook his head. He stared at the ground and kicked a pile of dirt.

"You gotta be a tourist… You from Domino or somethin'? Nobody livin' in Oneiro could be so clueless!"

"But we're not ALL clueless.

Jaden, Hassleberry, and Lorenzo all turned at the sound of Bastion's voice. Hank looked up at the newcomer. Bastion walked over and crossed his arms.

"I apologize, but I couldn't help but overhear… You mentioned mines, and asked if these gents," Bastion motioned to Jaden, Hassleberry, and Lorenzo, "were from Domino?"

Hank stared confusedly at Bastion. He'd never seen someone wear so much white.

"Uh… Yeah? What about it? Oneiro thrives on the mines, plain 'n simple."

Bastion rubbed his chin and appeared to be mulling over something.

"… I didn't read all the details, mind you… But I read somewhere that, more than fifty years ago, before the city of Domino was founded, Towns in the valleys surrounding the general area of Domino prospered after finding large sources of gold. But, sadly, fifty years ago, said Towns died out, because the mines were emptied completely, yet Domino began to prosper after that, as people from all over moved to Domino. And I do believe that 'Oneiro' was one of the few towns that I read about, that died out… Just what is going on here, good sir? Did Oneiro locate another source of gold…? But that can't be right, if Oneiro died out, and the people scattered…"

Hank shrugged, and appeared very confused. Hank rubbed his chin and frowned deeply.

"I dunno, bub… Maybe you misread or somethin'? Anyways… All I know's is, Oneiro's on its death bed, and it don't even knows it. Maybe you're right. Maybe Oneiro'll die again. Who knows? If ya don't believe me, I suggest going to check out the mines. The mines were shut down recently, so that should be all the proof youse needs. Just be careful around them mines, 'kay?"

Jaden visibly brightened at the prospect of something more to investigate, even though Bastion was with them and not quite in his right state of mind. Lorenzo and Hassleberry seemed elated as well.

Bastion continued to appear troubled. Oneiro was definitely a mystery, Master Seth had been right about that. More importantly, though, Bastion wanted to crack that mystery. But before he could go and look into the mines, Bastion felt he needed to know more about Oneiro itself before setting out for the mines... And he WOULD learn more, even if that meant eavesdropping on Alexis, Chazz, and Atticus… Bastion swore he would be the one to crack the mystery, not Jaden. Bastion WOULD be victorious, this time…!

- YU-GI-OH GX! -

An aged man hurriedly ran around a corner in the now-in-shambles castle that he called home. Duke Incendia had managed to keep the enemy at bay for fifty years, but now said enemy had brought in… reinforcements.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, Duke Incendia screeched to a halt, as six figures clad in white blocked his passage. They had cornered him now. No way out but to battle them and, hopefully, emerge victorious. Somehow the Duke highly doubted that would be the case. The enemy was strong within them.

"Duke Incendia…" Seth Phoenix spoke. He was flanked by Syrus, Bonaparte, Crowler, and two other Society members. Once Incendia's eyes were on him, Seth continued. "You did well to elude the Light for fifty long years… However… No human can escape the Light indefinitely. You are needed for a very important test…"

Duke Incendia raised a bony finger, and pointed it accusingly at Seth. Seth reminded Incendia very much of what he looked like in his youth, but Incendia KNEW that wasn't the man's true form. He just knew.

"Y-You… The Enemy is strongest within you… Do you have any idea what the Enemy will do, if victorious…?"

Seth chuckled and closed his eyes.

"Well, Duke… I do… Frankly, it will be… spectacular." Seth ceased chuckling and opened his eyes. Pointing right at Incendia, Seth continued, "As I said, you are needed for a test. In order to make a better world, you are necessary. Tonight we are taking you, Duke Incendia…"

Duke Incendia's eyes widened, and he attempted to retreat, despite the knowledge that he was cornered. He didn't make it very far, as mysterious flashes of light got very close to him until, finally, the Duke was sent crashing into a wall. Hard.

_Please… Someone… Defeat the Enemy…! It's too late for me…My only wish is… that I do not bring harm… to… any… one…_

And with those final thoughts, Duke Incendia was out cold. Seth Phoenix stood over the Duke and smirked.

"_Tick tock goes the clock _  
><em>And what now shall we play? <em>  
><em>Tick tock goes the clock <em>  
><em>Now summer's gone away?<em>_"_

Seth chuckled as the nursery rhyme played through his head. The test would begin soon…

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
